Brachystelma maritae is a small-sized perennial herb with a single annual stems to 5 cm long, growing from a slightly depressed tuber (caudex) 5-10 cm in diameter.
The leaves are elliptical, short-stalked and densely pubescent. The elegant blooms appears in several flowered groups at the nodes.
The strikingly yellow corolla with purple spots distinguish this species. The flowers are strongly scented with a pungent odour. This member of the Asclepiadaceae family was described by Ralph Peckover in 1996