[2][3] The common name nelia and its former variants nealie and neelya are derived from the Ngiyambaa word nhiil'i for the species.

[4] Acacia loderi grows as a large shrub or small tree 3–8 m (9.8–26.2 ft) high, with an erect or spreading habit.

These are pale grey-green to green and very narrow and long, measuring 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) in length by 0.9–2.5 mm (0.035–0.098 in) wide.

[3] It forms a dominant component of Acacia loderi shrubland, where it is found with such trees as black oak (Casuarina pauper), inland rosewood (Alectryon oleifolius) and leopardwood (Flindersia maculosa), and an understory of chenopods and grasses.

[5] Acacia loderi shrubland has been classified as an Endangered Ecological Community by the New South Wales Government.