Mallee to 5 m tall. Forming a lignotuber. Bark smooth throughout, light grey-brown over orange. Branchlets glaucous; oil glands present in the pith. Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): not seen. Adult leaves thick, alternate, petioles 0.5–1.7 cm long; blade lanceolate, 5–10.5 cm long, 1–3.2 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, margin entire, apex pointed, concolorous, glaucous at first but maturing glossy, green, surface appearing "glazed", side-veins acute or obscure, reticulation not visible, intramarginal vein present or obscure, oil glands numerous. Inflorescence axillary unbranched, pendulous, peduncles flattened, 1.5–3.5 cm long, buds 7 per umbel, pedicellate (pedicels 0.7–1.2 cm long). Mature buds elongated, 2.2–3.5 cm long, 0.6–0.9 cm wide (asymmetrically fusiform), glaucous, scar present (outer operculum shed early), operculum bluntly horn-shaped, ca 2–2.5 times the length of the hypanthium, stamens erect, anthers oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits, style long and straight, stigma rounded, locules 4, the placentae each with 4 vertical rows of ovules. Flowers yellow. Fruit down-turned, pedicellate (pedicels 0.6–0.9 cm long), stoutly barrel-shaped to cupular, 1–1.5 cm long, 0.9–1.8 cm wide, disc descending, obscured by persistent staminophore, valves 4, held at rim level. Seeds dark brown, 0.7–2 mm long, ovoid to flattened-ovoid, dorsal surface shallowly reticulate, hilum ventral. Cultivated seedlings (measured at node 10): cotyledons Y-shaped (bisected); stems rounded in cross-section, usually glaucous; leaves always shortly petiolate, opposite for 3 to 6 nodes then alternate, lanceolate to ovate, 5.5–9.5 cm long, 2.5–3.5 cm wide, dull, green to faintly glaucous. Leaves at lowest 3 nodes sparsely warty especially on the midrib and may feel slightly rough when fresh.
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