A mallee to 5 m, rarely a small tree to 10 m tall. Forming a lignotuber.Bark normally smooth throughout, white to light grey to pink; sometimes with short stocking of grey fibrous rough bark on the larger plants.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stem usually square in cross-section; juvenile leaves always petiolate, alternate, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 6–8 cm long, 2–3 cm wide, dull, grey-green.Adult leaves alternate, petiole (1.1)1.3–2.5 cm long; blade narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate to falcate, 6–15 cm long, 1–2.3 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, dull or glossy, green, side-veins normally greater than 45° to midrib, moderately reticulate, intramarginal vein present, oil glands mostly island.Inflorescence axillary unbranched, peduncles (0.5)0.7–1.4 cm long, buds 7, 9 or 11 per umbel, pedicellate (pedicels 0.3–0.5 cm long). Mature buds elongated-ovoid (0.9–1.2 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm wide), the hypanthium short, green to creamy, scar present, operculum conical to horn-shaped (0.7–0.9 cm long), stamens erect, anthers cuboid to oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits (non-confluent), style long, stigma tapered, locules 4 or 5, the placentae each with 6 vertical ovule rows. Flowers white.Fruit pedicellate (pedicels 0.3–0.4 cm long), hemispherical, 0.3 cm long, 0.5–0.7 cm wide, disc broad and steeply ascending, convex to oblique, valves 4 or 5, strongly exserted.Seeds usually black, 0.8–1 mm long, pyramidal or cuboid, edge with small teeth, hilum terminal. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): not grown at time of publication.
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