AppearanceThe stems reach heights of 5–30 centimetres, sheathed with highly reduced leaves 5–10 millimetres long, best identified as scales or bracts. These structures are small, thin, and translucent; they do not have petioles but instead extend in a sheath-like manner out of the stem.
As its scientific name suggests, and unlike the related "Monotropa hypopitys", the stems bear a single flower 10–20 millimetres long, with 3–8 translucent petals, 10–12 stamens and a single pistil.
It flowers from early summer to early autumn, often a few days after rainfall. The fruit, an oval capsule-like structure, enlarges and becomes upright when the seeds mature, at this point stem and capsule looking desiccated and dark brown or black.
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