It is an openly branched shrub with relatively large, egg-shaped to circular leaves and long spikes of deep maroon coloured flowers in spring and early summer.

The sepals are a deep maroon colour, spreading, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and have 8 or 9 feathery lobes and two large, hairy, ear-like appendages.

[2] Verticordia muelleriana was first formally described by Ernst Pritzel in 1904 from a specimen he collected between Watheroo and Coorow and the description was published in Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie.

[2] The names of two subspecies are accepted by the Australian Plant Census: When Alex George reviewed the genus Verticordia in 1991, he placed this species in subgenus Eperephes, section Pennuligera along with V. chrysostachys, V. lepidophylla, V. aereiflora, V. dichroma, V. x eurardyensis, V. comosa, V. argentea, V. albida, V. fragrans, V. venusta, V. forrestii, V. serotina, V. oculata, V. etheliana and V.

[7][8] Subspecies muelleriana is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[7] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.