It is distinguished by its leaf arrangement, small raised blisters on the leaves and heads of white or cream flowers on the ends of the branches in spring.Melaleuca phoidophylla is a shrub sometimes growing to 6 m (20 ft) tall.

Flowering occurs from September to November, and is followed by fruit which are woody, cup-shaped capsules, 1.8–2 mm (0.07–0.08 in) long in clusters along the stem.

[2][3] Melaleuca phoidophylla was first formally described in 1999 by Lyndley Craven in Australian Systematic Botany from a specimen collected near Pingaring.

[2] This melaleuca occurs in and between the Katanning, Boorabbin and Salmon Gums districts[2] in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Mallee and Murchison biogeographic regions.

[7] Melaleuca phoidophylla is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.