Erect shrub 30–150 cm tall, rigid, glabrous to pubescent; stems woody at base, branchlets subulate, 1–4 cm long, spiny. Leaves obovate to oblanceolate, 5–30 mm long, 2–14 mm wide, somewhat succulent, glandular above, pubescent below; petiole c. 2 mm long; stipules subulate, c. 2 mm long, caducous. Inflorescences mostly 3–8-flowered; bracts ovate, c. 0.5 mm long, brown; bracteoles oblong, c. 0.5 mm long, brown, pilose. Calyx c. 3 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; calyx teeth small, triangular; corolla 6–12 mm long, pinkish-purple to yellow and red; ovary compressed, 7–8 mm long. Pod red-brown, 8–30 mm long, c. 3 mm wide, constricted between seeds; seeds 1–8, c. 3 mm long, greyish-brown, testa smooth. Flowers Nov.–Feb.
MuM, VRiv, MSB, MuF, Gold, NIS. Also naturalised WA, SA, NSW. Native to western Europe, central Asia. Although proclaimed a noxious weed in Victoria it had gone uncollected since 1920 until recollected at Keely (near Cohuna, in northern Victoria) in 2023.
