Nematolepis rhytidophylla is a dense shrub to 3 m (9.8 ft) high with angled, warty stems and thickly covered in coppery scales.

The 1-4 small bracts oblong shaped, 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long, covered on the outside with coppery scales.

The dry, slightly spreading fruit capsule is about 3–3.2 mm (0.12–0.13 in) long, more or less square, smooth, warty and ending minutely with a triangular point.

[2][3][4] This species was first formally described in 1998 by David Albrecht and Neville Walsh and named it Phebalium rhytidophyllum, and the description was published in the journal Muelleria.

[2][3] Nematolepis rhytidophylla is considered "vulnerable" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.