Slender geophyte up to 40cm. Leaves pleated and erect, absent to partly developed at flowering time, up to 150 x 7mm. Inflorescence is dense, 2-12 flowered; young flowers not fully resupinate; pale lemon, crests bright orange-yellow; sepals and petals partly spreading; lip 3-lobed, crest consisting of a single, minutely hairy ridge for most of the lip length, becoming 2 ridges at the base and ending in 2 or 3 lobes on the mid lobe; spur absent; column 8-10mm long.

Greek: orthos = straight (in height), upright; referring to the slender, erect habit of this species.

Latin: tabularis = flattened horizontally, plate like (in geographical epithets) growing on Table Mountain, South Africa; belonging to Table Mountain, where the type plant was collected by Thunberg.