Genoplesium archeri is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single thin leaf 100–150 mm (4–6 in) long and fused to the flowering stem with the free part 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long.

[3][4] The elfin midge orchid was first formally described in 1858 by Joseph Dalton Hooker who gave it the name Prasophyllum archeri from a specimen collected by William Archer near Cheshunt.

The description was published in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror.

[8] Genoplesium archeri grows in a wide range of habitats including swamp margins and open forest.

It is found in New South Wales mainly between Guyra and the Blue Mountains, is widespread in Victoria and in Tasmania at altitudes up to 200 m (700 ft) above sea level.