Bulbinella nutans is a perennial growing from a rhizome. The long, narrow leaves taper and are channelled.

Flowering stems may get one metre tall, the conical raceme densely covered in small yellow or cream flowers. The blooming happens in late winter and spring, after which the plant becomes summer dormant.

The plants grow in damp spots in the Western Cape, the succulent Karoo and southern Namaqualand.