Cryptostylis subulata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with leathery, dark green to yellowish-green leaves which sit on petioles that are anywhere from 1 to 15 cm (0.5 to 6 in) long.

[4][5][6] The large tongue orchid was first formally described in 1806 by Jacques Labillardière from a specimen collected in Tasmania.

Labillardière gave it the name Malaxis subulata and published the description in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen.

[6][9] It is tolerant of a range of soils, from well-drained sandy heathland to swampy depressed areas,[10] as well as dry eucalypt forest.

It occurs mostly in coastal districts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, although it is also found in the Blue Mountains.