It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, groups of three or seven, slightly ribbed flower buds arranged in leaf axils, pale yellow flowers and cup shaped fruit.Eucalyptus captiosa is a mallee or mallet that typically grows to a height of 1–4 m (3 ft 3 in – 13 ft 1 in) and has smooth grey, creamy white or coppery bark, sometimes with ribbons of partly shed bark.

[2][3][4] Eucalyptus captiosa was first formally described in 1993 by Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper and the description was published in the journal Nuytsia from a specimen near Jerramungup.

[5] The specific epithet (captiosa) is a word Latin meaning "deceptive",[6] referring to the fine leaves, which are very different from those of the related E.

[3] This eucalypt grow in sandy and gravelly soils in heath between Tambellup and Jerramungup in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions.

[2][3][4] Eucalyptus captiosa is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.