Australian Box-thorn

Intricately branched shrub to 2.5 m with rigid branches; lateral branches leafy, often ending in a spine.

Leaves usually clustered, narrowly obovoid to ellipsoid, to 25 mm long, thick and fleshy, greyish-green.

Pedicels 2–5 mm long, sometimes longer. Calyx tubular to ellipsoid, 1.5–5 mm long. Corolla 8–12 mm long, creamy white, lilac towards limb; limb spreading. Stamens 4 or 5, included or scarcely exserted. Pistil 5–8 mm long.

Fruiting calyx not deeply split. Berry ovoid to ellipsoid, 2–5 mm diam., dull orange-red, with 5–20 seeds. Seeds 1.5–2 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, dull yellow.