The ericoid leaves of Stoebe incana are small and narrow, thread-like with margins rolled up and the ascending leaves curving away from the stems. The leaves may also be spirally twisted and hairier in the (upper) groove between the margins.

The specific name, incana, was derived from the Latin prefix in- meaning not quite or tendency towards and cani (also Latin) meaning grey hairs. This refers to the covering of short white hairs on the stems contrasting against the dark green leaves (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist; http://fernkloof.org.za).