Acacia coatesii Maslin

Low-domed, intricately branched, compact, rigid, generally glabrous subshrub 20–40 cm high, forming hemispherical cushions. Branches dividing into many short, straight, rigid, ascending to erect, spinose branchlets. Stipules caducous or subpersistent, not pungent. Phyllodes patent to erect, normally straight, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 6–15 mm long, (1–) 1.5–3 mm wide, pungent to subpungent by slender straight cusp 1–2 mm long, subglaucous to dull green; prominently 1-veined; adaxial margin 2-veined below the gland and 1-veined above the gland; pulvinus 0.5–1 mm long; gland 1–2 mm above pulvinus, sometimes absent. Inflorescences simple or vestigial binate racemes; peduncles 3–4 (–6) mm long, often shallowly recurved in fruit; basal bract brown, caducous, cucullate; heads showy, globular, 3–4 mm diam., 8–9-flowered, bright golden; bracteoles spathulate, c. 1 mm long, brown. Calyx absent or reduced to a single, linear, short, membranous sepal; petals 5, 1–1.2 mm long, glabrous, nerveless. Pods (immature) oblong, 10–15 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, ±straight, flat, not constricted between seeds; margins thickened, yellow. Seeds (immature) oblique.

Grows in shallow, red sandy clay on flat or gently sloping ground towards the base of a low greenstone ridge in open woodland dominated by Eucalyptus spp. over open shrubland.