It has linear leaves with sharply-pointed serrations, cream-coloured flowers with a red style arranged in heads of about forty, and egg-shaped follicles with a flattened tip.

Flowering occurs from July to August and the fruit is a sparsely hairy follicle 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) long with a flattened tip.

[2][3][4] This species was first formally described in 1996 by Alex George who gave it the name Dryandra rufistylis and published the description in the journal Nuytsia from material he collected near Woodanilling.

[6][7] Banksia rufistylis grows in kwongan and woodland between the Woodanilling, Nyabing and Tarin Rock districts.

[3] This banksia is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[2] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.