It is a deciduous, terrestrial herb with one or two grass-like leaves and up to ten dull pink, more or less drooping flowers.

Pachystoma pubescens is a deciduous, terrestrial herb with one or two dark green, linear, pleated, sharply pointed leaves 300–450 mm (12–18 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide.

Flowering occurs in November and December in Australia and March to September in Asia.

[2][3][4][5] Pachystoma pubescens was first described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume, in his Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indie.

It occurs in China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam and in Australia where it is found in northern parts of the Northern Territory and in Tropical North Queensland.