Shrub or tree 1–3 m tall; trunks and branches somewhat gnarled. Bark fibrous, grey. Branchlets terete, appressed-puberulous at extremities, soon glabrous. Phyllodes ascending to erect, straight to slightly incurved, terete, 5–9.5 (–13.5) cm long, ±1.3 mm diameter, subulate-pungent, rigid, grey-green to glaucous (green when young), glabrous or sericeous between the nerves, finely multistriate; gland normally 1.5–5 mm above base. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 0.5–3 (–5) mm long, appressed-puberulous to glabrous; heads globular, 4–5 mm diameter, 30–45-flowered, golden. Flowers 4-or 5-merous; sepals ¼–⅔-united. Pods linear, raised over seeds, to 10 cm long, 3–4.5 mm wide, chartaceous, coarsely reticulate over seeds, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic-oblong, 4.5–5 mm long, glossy, brown; aril apical, bright yellow.
Grows at margins of saline lakes, marshes and flats, in clay or loam, in open scrub.