Pure cyrtandra lysiosepala is one of the easier cyrtandras to identify. It often has a distinctive upright growth form that often results in a tall single-stem palm form plant, or several tall stems in a clump. The leaves are toothed, with the vein pattern prominent. They have a conspicuously foliacious calyx.

This species seems to hybridize a lot, and many of these pictured plants appear to be hybrids.