Shining lady's-tresses is an erect forb, 1.5-3dm tall, and has a 2-7cm, dense, spike inflorescence with widely spreading flowers, sepals are 5-5.5mm, fused for 0.6-0.8mm at the base, directed forward along with lateral petals. Its lip is 5-6mm, broadly oblong with rounded-square edges and irregular teeth along the distal margin, distal two-thirds bright yellow or orange-yellow with white margins. Its viscidium (sticky portion of stigma lobe) is oval. The seed coat is net-veined. Its basal leaves are lance-oblong, to 12cm long and 7-15mm wide, with 2-3 much reduced cauline sheaths, the upper being scale-like.
Its sepals that are fused for 0.6-0.8mm at the base, oval viscidium (sticky portion of stigma lobe), and its largely bright yellow lip distinguish this species from other orchids.