[2] It is named for the botanist Dr Betsy Jackes (1935–), a professor at the James Cook University of North Queensland.

The prostrate shrub typically grows to a height of 1 metre (3 ft) and has red-brown coloured angular branchlets.

The evergreen, glabrous phyllodes have a tetragonous-terete cross-section and are 9 to 14 cm (3.5 to 5.5 in) in length and 0.8 to 1 mm (0.031 to 0.039 in) wide.

The light brown seeds inside are arranged longitudinally and have an elliptic shape with a length of 4.8 to 5.4 mm (0.19 to 0.21 in) and have a thin pleurogram.

[2] It is endemic to parts of north-eastern Queensland including around the Argentine mine which is found approximately 60 km (37 mi) south west of Townsville where it is situated on plains and in gorges growing in brown loamy soils overlying Argentine schist bedrock as a part of Eucalyptus woodland communities.