It has a single hollow, onion-like leaf and up to twenty five white, thinly textured flowers with a slight perfume.

[2][4][3][5] Microtis pulchella was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.

[6][7] The specific epithet (pulchella) is a Latin word meaning "beautiful",[8] referring to the flowers of this orchid.

[2] The beautiful mignonette orchid grows in peaty swamps, often forming large colonies between Albany and Augusta.

[2][3][4] Microtis alba is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife,[9] meaning that is rare or near threatened.