Dense, rounded or flat-topped shrub, 0.2–3 m high; branchlets often twisted and pustulate, resinous, glabrous. Phyllodes usually linear-oblanceolate, 2–4 cm long, 1–4.5 mm wide, thick, somewhat curved, glabrous, obtuse, mucronate; main veins 3, distant, resinous, whitish, impressed in summit of ridges, with as many weaker, sometimes obscure, secondary veins; stipules persistent, triangular, c. 0.5 mm long. Peduncles 2–5 mm long, 2 per axil, glabrous; heads globular, 3–4 mm diam., 12–20-flowered, light-golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, to 6 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, curved to twisted, glabrous; seeds longitudinal, oblong to oblong-ovate, aril apical. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VRiv, RobP, MuF, GGr. Widespread in north-western Victoria, growing principally in mallee eucalypt scrub or woodland in a wide variety of, but mostly sandy, soils.
The number of veins per phyllode varies from 3 to 7, depending on the prominence of the secondary veins but often the main veins can be distinguished by the fact they are resinous. The shape of the phyllodes is generally variable; the commonest form is linear-oblanceolate but broader oblanceolate forms also occur.
Note that A. sclerophylla var. lissophylla is now treated as a variety of A. ancistrophylla.
