Stems yellow-brown, pink-brown, to purple, 25-80 cm. Flowers chasmogamous; sepals and petals often apically recurved, yellow-tan to purple-brown with prominent purple or brown veins; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 15-24 × 4-8 mm; lateral sepals 14-20 × 5.5-9 mm; petals 14-23 × 5-9 mm; lip tan to purple-white, rarely entirely white, 13-20 × 8-16 mm; lamellae central, purple, 0.7-1 mm; column 13-18 mm; rostellum present; anthers yellow. Capsules 16-30 × 8-20 mm.

Flowering Apr--Aug. Humus, typically in mesic to dry soil over limestone or sandstone, in vicinity of Juniperus, Pinus, or Quercus; 0--600 m (c Texas eastward and northward), 1600--2000 m (west); Ala., Ariz., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kans., Ky., La., Md., Miss., Mo., N.Mex., N.C., Ohio, Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va.; Mexico.

Hexalectris spicata var. spicata occurs in Missouri in calcareous soil in dry forests and limestone glades, often in association with Juniperus in the latter habitat (G. Yatskievych 1999). Detailed descriptions of habitat and associated species for H. spicata var. spicata in Illinois are given by C. J. Sheviak (1974) and for Indiana by M. A. Homoya (1993).

In Oklahoma, populations of Hexalectris spicata var. spicata growing in decaying Juniperus needle litter over sandstone are far more robust.