Lycaste aromatica has ovate pseudobulbs, deciduous lanceolate leaves and erect flowered spikes about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long.

The flowering period extends from late spring through summer.

This plant is native to Central America and it is present in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

Lycaste aromatica grows on branches with moss, in damp limestone cliffs and in tropical semi-deciduous forests or warm oak forests along streams.

It prefers diffused bright light in moist and cool to warm climate, at an altitude of 500–2,000 metres (1,600–6,600 ft) above sea level.