[6] From the exterior, the wattle is a dark green, prickly shrub to small tree that can grow 2–4 m high and up to 8m wide.

[6] The prickly appearance of the shrub refers to the pointy phyllodes (leaves), which are rigid, straight, 4 angled and linear in shape.

[2] Furthermore, the leaves are approximately 2–9 cm long and 1-2mm wide, subglaucous (between glaucous and green) with lighter coloured veins at each angle and hairless with age.

[2] The flowers are bright yellow, fuzzy spheres, 7-10mm in diameter that come singularly or rarely in pairs and are located on 12-25mm hairy stalks in the axil of phyllodes.

The plant has an ancient history of asexual reproduction along with habitat disturbance which both have affected the setting of seed.

[5] Inflorescences display a short protogynous phase (female organs mature first) and the majority are simultaneously hermaphroditic (bi-sexual).

[5] Purple wood wattle has a long history of genetic isolation which pre-dates land use changes.

[4] Newly emergent suckers are eaten by grazers such as rabbits and stock which has led to the mortality of established plants.

[4] Other threats include, goats and kangaroos who strip the phyllodes and cattle that shade by trees thereby destabilising soils.

[3] Known extant populations occur in the arid zone west of the Darling River in South-east Australia.

[10] There are approximately 240 distinct genetic individuals which are mostly polyploid and separated by >10 kilometres (6 mi) of unsuitable habitat.