Prostrate shrub to 0.5 m tall with thin, ribbed branchlets. Phyllodes more or less cylindrical, 5-12 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, rigid, sharp-pointed, at least a few bent backwards. Flower heads globular, of about 20 4-parted flowers, lemon yellow; winter and early spring. Fruit pods linear, to about 6 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, stiff and papery.

A. genistifolia Link., Spreading Wattle (Early Wattle), from NSW, Vic and Tas has stiff, prickly phyllodes 1.5-4 cm long at more or less right angles to the stem; A. gunnii Benth., Ploughshare Wattle, from S and E Australia is a stiff, spreading shrub with narrowly triangular phyllodes with 1main vein; A. rupicola Benth., Rock Wattle, from SA and Vic is a sticky shrub with phyllodes to 10 cm long and 4-parted flowers; A. ulicifolia (Salisb.) Court, Prickly Moses, from Qld, NSW, Vic and Tas has 4-parted flowers and phyllodes that are not bent back. Syn. A. brownei Poir.

NSW, Vic.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Mimosaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.