Woody shrub to 4 m. high, with greyish to purple-brown, dull or shiny peeling bark; branches with alternating spine-tipped branchlets to 12 cm. long, spreading at right-angles, minutely puberulous when young.. Leaves alternate on young growth, fasciculate on older branches, cuneate-spathulate, to 4.5 × 1.5 cm., base cuneate, apex rounded to emarginate, margin entire, glabrous or pubescent; petiole to 5 mm. long; stipules glandular, minute and sharply pointed.. Cymes reduced to subsessile solitary cyathia, or clustered in terminal 2–5-branched umbels with primary rays to 7 mm. long, 2–3-forked; bracts minute, leaf-like, 1–3 mm. long, minutely puberulous.. Cyathia 2–5 × 4–7 mm., with broadly funnel to cup-shaped involucres, minutely puberulous; glands 5, subcircular, funnel-shaped and distant, to flat and almost touching, to ± 2.5 mm. in diameter, yellow; lobes rounded, ± 1.5 × 2.5 mm., with deeply fringed margin.. Male flowers: bracteoles ligulate, with feathery apices; stamens ± 4–4.5 mm. long.. Female flower: ovary subsessile, puberulous; styles ± 2 mm. long, joined for up to 2/3 of their length, with recurved, thickened, channelled apices, bifid for 1/3.. Capsule obtusely 3-lobed, to 7 × 8 mm., pubescent.. Seeds subglobose, ± 2.5 mm. in diameter, smooth, reddish brown, faintly speckled.
Sandy soils near the shore or in coastal forest; red-or dry-sandy soils and lava plains in open Acacia-Commiphora bushland; grassland; rocky slopes; limestone or basement complex slopes; on gypsum bearing soils; at elevations to 1,750 metres.
Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
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