Rigid, diffuse to dense shrub or tree, 0.5–3 m high; branchlets glabrous or with sparse appressed, minute hairs, and glabrescent. Phyllodes stiffly spreading, sessile, more or less terete, 1.5–3 cm long, 1–1.5 mm diam., rigid, straight to slightly curved, glabrous, subulate, very pungent; veins 8, strongly raised, lighter coloured;. gland small, on basal swelling. Peduncles 1.5–4.5 mm long, 2 per axil, glabrous; basal peduncular bracts cucullate, sometimes semicircular; heads subglobular, often widely ellipsoid, 3–5 mm long, 3–4.5 mm diam., 20–24-flowered, golden; bracteoles peltate. Flowers mostly 5-merous; sepals free. Pods narrowly oblong, to 7 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, constricted between seeds, 1- or 2-coiled, glabrous, sometimes reticulate; seeds longitudinal, oval to ovate, 3.5–4 mm long, shiny black; aril yellow, nearly enveloping seed. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, MSB, RobP, GipP. Also WA, SA, NSW. In north-west of state only, growing mainly in mallee scrub or open woodland on sandy loam soils.
