It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth greyish or brownish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus polybractea is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 8–10 m (26–33 ft) and forms a lignotuber.

[2] In 2018, Kevin James Rule described two subspecies, polybractea and suberea but the names have not been accepted by the Australian Plant Census.

[8] Blue-leaved mallee has a wide, but sporadic distribution around West Wyalong in New South Wales and between Stawell and Bendigo in Victoria.

Primarily, this is because the blue-leaved mallee is native to Australia, can grow effectively in drought conditions and can store a great deal of carbon quickly.