[4] The species was first described in 1828 by Robert Graham based on plant material grown from seed said to have been collected in New South Wales and sent to England by Charles Fraser, the NSW colonial botanist.

Leaves 3-nerved, central nerve keeled behind, glabrous, shining, somewhat succulent, quite entire, sessile and stem clasping, the lower (3½ inches long, ¾ of an inch broad) ovato-oblong, with a short central point, the upper ovato-acuminate, and gradually becoming smaller towards the flowers.

Anthodium ovate, imbricated, dry, membranous, shining, greenish, when withered pale brown; scales ovate, entire, having a distinct middle rib occasionally projecting at the apex in form of a little mucro, on rough footstalks, in the inner scales as long as themselves, but shorter in the outer, which are loose, and extended a little way on the peduncle.

Florets of the disk (nearly ¾ of an inch long) hermaphrodite, rose-coloured, especially at their apices, divaricated, and projecting outwards between the tubes of the ray, regular, 5-cleft, segments spreading.

Anther-tube included, bursting at its apex, and discharging white pollen; filaments nearly as long as the anthers, inserted into the corolla above the middle of the tube.