Erect shrub or small tree with spreading branches, 2–10 m high. Phyllodes disarticulating very easily, acicular-quadrangular, rarely flattened, c. 1 cm long, 0.3–0.5(–0.7) mm wide, very pungent. Flowers in cylindrical spikes, to 2 cm long. Flowers Jul.–Nov.
VVP, GipP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, VAlp. Occurs in moist or riparian woodland and forest, most commonly in metropolitan Melbourne and in the nearby mountains to the east, but also near Portland, the Otway Range and Morwell-Leongatha area.
This subspecies is distinguished by the narrow, needle-like phyllodes (0.5 mm or less). However, plants may have phyllodes that grade from this narrow form to relatively broad.
