Inflorescences are 2–8 cm long and produce white, pink, or mauve flowers that bloom from September to December in their native range.

In China it's known from Guangdong, Yunnan, and southern Fujian provinces.

Its habitat is recorded as being seasonal swamps and is often reported to grow near rice paddies.

It is usually found growing at low altitudes but has been recorded from elevations as high as 1100 metres on Sumatra.

[1] The name Stylidium tenellum was also used by Robert Brown in 1810, unaware of the earlier use in 1805 by Olof Swartz.