Flowering occurs throughout the year but mainly from October to February and the fruit that follows is a hairy follicle with reddish markings.

[3][4][5][6]Grevillea acanthifolia was first formally described in 1825 by Allan Cunningham from a specimen he collected on John Oxley's 1817 expedition.

Cunningham found the species growing in "peaty bogs on the Blue Mountains and [on the] banks of Cox's River".

This grevillea only grows in New South Wales, usually at higher altitudes and in wet or boggy areas.

[1] Overall, there are no major threats to the species, however, subspecies paludosa (bog grevillea) is threatened by changes to river flow regimes, surface runoff and related hydrological disturbances, trampling and grazing, increased fire regimes and dieback disease Phytophthora.