Mallee to 4 m tall. Forming a lignotuber.Bark smooth throughout, grey to grey-brown, or with some persistent basal fibrous bark. Branchlets not glaucous; oil glands usually present in the pith but sometimes hard to find.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stems square to round in cross-section, hairy on the lower stem only, glaucous near the tip, the rest of the stem usually green , juvenile leaves shortly petiolate, opposite, elliptical to oblong to ovate, (3)6-12 cm long, (2)4-6.5 cm wide, base lobed to rounded to tapering, apex rounded or pointed, green to grey-green to weakly glaucous, lamina on lower leaves hairy on the midrib and margins, margins sometimes minutely toothed due to hairs.Adult leaves opposite, petioles 1.2–3 cm long; blade ovate to broadly lanceolate to lanceolate, 7–15 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, apex pointed, concolorous, dull, green to slightly blue-green, side-veins at an acute or wider angle to midrib, tertiary venation sparse to moderate, intramarginal vein present, oil glands mostly island.Inflorescence axillary single, peduncles broadly flattened, 0.6–2 cm long, buds 3 per umbel, pedicels 0.6–1.3 cm long. Mature buds obovoid, (0.6–0.8 cm long, 0.5–0.6 cm wide) hypanthium four-angled, not glaucous, outer perianth whorl sepaline, inner whorl operculate, operculum rounded to flattened, stamens grouped in four clusters, inflexed, anthers oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits (non-confluent), style short, stigma tapered, locules usually 3 or 4, the ovules arranged in 4 distinct vertical rows on the placentae. Flowers whitish.Fruit pedicellate (pedicels 0.7–1.3 cm long), barrel-shaped to cylindrical, 1.3–2.1 cm long, 1–2.2 cm wide, usually four-angled, not glaucous, disc descending, valves 3 or 4, enclosed or near the rim.Seeds dull brown to black or greyish, irregularly pyramidal in shape or somewhat flattened, with a ragged flange around the edge, 5–6.5 mm long, sides ribbed, surface smooth not deeply pitted, hilum ventral/terminal.Cultivated seedlings (measured at node 10): cotyledons reniform; stems square to round in cross-section, hairy, glaucous near the tip, the rest of the stem usually green or slightly glaucous, leaves petiolate, opposite, elliptical to oblong, 5–8 cm long, 2–3.7 cm wide, green to slightly glaucous, margins minutely toothed due to hairs, apex pointed, base lobed to rounded to tapering, lamina hairy on the midrib and margins.
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