It has between four and six leaves and up to seven large, bright yellow flowers with reddish-brown markings.

There are two parallel callus ridges 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long at the base of the mid-line of the labellum and outlined with reddish brown.

[2][3][4][5] Diuris carinata was first formally described by John Lindley in his 1840 book The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants from a specimen collected by James Drummond near the Swan River.

[6] Its specific epithet (carinata) is a Latin word meaning "keeled",[7] referring to the keel-like structure of parts of the flower.

[8] The tall bee orchid is found between Gingin and Mount Barker in the Jarrah Forest biogeographical region where it grows with sedges in swampy areas.