[1][3] The common oreorchis is a terrestrial orchid with a sympodial habit of growth; it flowers on an inflorescence bearing yellow blooms.

The flowers are yellowish brown to pale yellow, and the lip is white, often with purple spots.

The callus consists of a pair of thick lamellae, extending from base to midway along the mid-lobe.

Lang (1994) and N. Pearce and P. Cribb (1997) synonymized O. lancifolia and O. setschuanica with O. patens based on their virtually indistinguishable morphology.

O. yunnanensis was synonymized based on the type description and habitat; physical specimens were difficult to obtain.

confluens was described by Schlechter in 1921 as bearing a lip with convergent keels joined at the apex; Pearce and Cribb treated this feature as a local variation and likewise synonymized it with the parent species.

[1][4][5] The common oreorchis is known from Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East (Kamchatka, Primorye, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands), and China (Gansu, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Sichuan, Taiwan, and Yunnan).