The upper surface of the leaflets is a darker green than the lower side, dotted with oil glands and mostly glabrous.

Flowering occurs in autumn and spring and is followed by the fruit which is a capsule with three or four sections each containing one or two reddish brown to black striped seeds.

[1][2][3] Zieria smithii was first formally described in 1810 by George Jackson and the description was published in The Botanist's Repository for New, and Rare Plants.

[4][5] The specific epithet (smithii) honours James Edward Smith who established the genus Zieria.

It grows in a wide range of habitats but is most common on the edge of rainforest, often in rocky areas.