Plants 7-40 cm. Roots few, spreading to descending, mostly to 0.5 cm diam., slender. Leaves usually persisting through anthesis, 3-5, basal, spreading, oval-oblanceolate, 2-6 × 1-2 cm. Inflorescences: spikes secund to loosely spiraled, 8-10 flowers per cycle of spiral; rachis densely pubescent, some trichomes capitate to clavate, glands obviously stalked. Flowers cream to pale yellow; sepals distinct to base, 5 × 1 mm; lateral sepals appressed; petals linear to lance-oblong, 5 × 1 mm, apex acute to obtuse; lip yellow centrally, ovate to oblong, 5 × 2.5 mm, apex dilated, yellow, pubescent, apical margin crisped, finely lacerate; veins several, branches very short; basal calli long-pointed, mostly to 1 mm; viscidium linear-lanceolate; ovary mostly 3 mm. Seeds monoembryonic.

Flowering Feb--Apr. Dry to moist roadsides and fields; 0--100 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., Tex.

Spiranthes brevilabris and S. floridana are often and easily confused, although the degree of pubescence is an excellent diagnostic tool in the field.

This species has dramatically declined, with only a single extant population known in 1998-2000.