Kanji bush is a gnarled tree or shrub with a single trunk,[2] corky bark, spiny foliage and stems.

[1] It has thick, rough, corky, dark grey to black coloured bark on the main trunk that is often scarred by fire.

[2] The species was first formally described by the botanist Karel Domin in 1926 in the work Beitrage zur Flora und Pflanzengeographie Australiens as published in Bibliotheca Botanica.

[3] The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word inaequilatera meaning with unequal sides, referring to the very asymmetric phyllodes.

The bark was also used for medicinal purposes to treat skin complains and sores by boiling in water or using the ash from burning it in fire.

The tannins leached out of the bark in water make an astringent solution which were taken to treat diarrhoea and dysentery.