It has dull green, leathery, prickly, holly-like leaves and long sprays of cream flowers, usually after fire.

Lomatia ilicifolia is a stiff, erect shrub which grows to a height of 0.5–3 m (2–10 ft) and has its young foliage and flower buds covered with rust-coloured hairs.

Flowering occurs from November to February, usually following fire the previous summer, and is followed about three months later by the fruit which is a dark brown, leathery follicle 15–30 mm (0.6–1 in) long containing about ten winged seeds.

[6]: 340 Native holly is widespread and locally common in south-eastern Victoria where it grows in heath or woodland, sometimes in montane forests, from the Otway Ranges eastward to Gippsland.

[5] This lomatia is a hardy, slow-growing plant with interesting foliage, well-displayed flowers and attractive fruit.