The flower is the floral emblem of the Australian Capital Territory.Wahlenbergia gloriosa is a perennial herb with spreading rhizomes and erect, mostly unbranched stems 6–40 mm (0.24–1.6 in) high.

The petals are purple and joined at their bases to form a more or less bell-shaped tube 2.5–8.5 mm (0.098–0.33 in) long with four, five or six lobes on the end.

[2][3][4] Wahlenbergia gloriosa was first formally described in 1947 by Noel Lothian and the description was published in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from a specimen collected on Mount Buffalo by Percival St John.

[8] Royal bluebell is locally common in subalpine woodland and forest, often in rocky places and in alpine grassland and herbfield above 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

[2][4] This species is a frost-hardy ground cover that grows best in a sunny or part-shade position in cooler parts of Australia.