A tough, perennial shrub reaching 60 cm in height. Unlike many of its relatives, it has no spines.
Its stems are hard and green. The leaves are held individually (not in groups or tufts). They are slender (c.35mm x 2-5mm), hard, green and the leaf-tips are sharp.
It often forms rounded gray-green galls on its stem, the result of parasitism by the fly Asparagobius braunsi.
The fragrant white flowers appear after rain, while the fruits are small berries (5mm wide) that become reddish orange when ripe.[1][2]
