The golden coulter-bush or basterkaroo in Afrikaans is a soft, evergreen shrub of the Asteraceae family. The lower branches and the main stem are bare. The shrub often reaches 1,5 m in height, sometimes double that. Leaves are alternate, pinnate and needle-like. Leaf colour is bright green or silvery grey-green.

Flowering starts in late spring when the unopened greenish yellow, almost flat flower-heads begin their parading in the south-easter wind with a flourish. Upon opening fully, the masses of little bright yellow discs beat much of the eye-catching competition (Manning, 2007).