Diffuse, much-branched shrub to c. 1.5 m high. Branchlets ± spinose, often lightly pruinose, glabrous or puberulous-hirsutellous. Stipules caducous, conspicuous on new shoots, fused (dropping as a single unit). Phyllodes patent to ascending, usually acicular and terete to subterete (often drying ± flat), 6–20 mm long, 0.5–2 mm wide, pungent, rigid, finely longitudinally sulcate when dry, green, usually glabrous; midrib not prominent. Inflorescences 1-headed rudimentary racemes with axes more than 0.5 mm long; peduncles usually 4–12 mm long, glabrous; basal bracts persistent; heads ± globular, usually 14–23-flowered, golden; bracteoles sessile to subsessile, concave, oblong to widely ovate, ± visible between flowers in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. ⅔-united. Pods raised over seeds, strongly curved to openly once-coiled, to c. 5 cm long, (3–) 3.5–5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly crustaceous, dark brown to black, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, c. 3 mm long; aril about as long as seed.
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