It is a spreading shrub, often growing in woodlands, heathlands and near swamps in montane areas of eastern Australia.

Its leaves and branches are glabrous except for a few hairs on new growth and which are lost by the time of flowering.

The flowers are off-white in colour and are arranged in groups of ten to forty in the leaf axils.

Flowering occurs from September to February and is followed by the fruit which is a woody follicle containing two winged seeds.

[2][3][4]Hakea microcarpa was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.