This species is characterized by its rather robust habit, stipules with a well developed ligulate appendage with glands at its tip, petiolate leaves with the higher-order venation mostly not visible, pedunculate inflorescences with the flowers in several subcapitate heads and well developed bracts, its medium-sized flower, and its rather large white fruits. Rudgea bracteata is generally similar to Carapichea verrucosa.
Rudgea bracteata is similar to the other species of Rudgea’s Bracteata Group (Taylor & Bruniera, 2018), especially Rudgea huashikatii and Rudgea yasuniana. See those other species for their distinctions.