Clivia nobilis is an evergreen bulbous plant which develops a rhizome and forms a tight clump as new suckers are produced and the plant becomes larger.

In light shade the leaves are almost horizontal and are relatively short, approximately 300 mm in length, while in dense shade the leaves are fairly upright and grow to 800 mm in length. The width of the leaves can range from 25 to 50 mm. The leaves are a dull dark green, with some forms displaying a pale green stripe down the centre of the leaf similar to the stripe which occurs on the leaves of some C. mirabilis plants. The margins of the leaves on many plants are serrated and the leaf tips are rounded and often notched.

C. nobilis produces an inflorescence containing 40 to 60 pendulous cylindrical flowers ranging in colour from very pale to dark orange or orange-red with pale to dark green tips. There is also an unusual form with flowers that are very pale pinkish-yellow in the upper half and pale greenish-yellow in the lower half. It  flowers between late autumn and spring. Flowers are followed by clusters of bright red berries the size of a marbles which take a year to ripen. The seed is round and about 6 mm in diameter.

The rate of growth of C nobilis is considerably slower than that of all other Clivia species. From seed C. nobilis takes at least 6 years or more to flower. Under favourable conditions this species is a long-lived plant and will outlive many generations.