It is commonly known as golden wreath, orange wattle, or blue-leafed wattle and was formerly known as A. cyanophylla . It is fast growing and tolerant of a wide range of soils, including calcareous and slightly saline types in temperate climates. Acacia saligna is planted in North Africa and the Middle East for fodder, fuelwood, sand stabilization, and as a wind break. H. Wendl. is a dense and multi-stemmed, thornless, spreading shrub or single stemmed small tree up to 9 m in height. The bark is smooth and grey to red-brown on branchlets.
Young plants become dark grey and fissured with age.
In its native range A. saligna is confined to southwest Western Australia. It has become naturalized in parts of eastern Australia from Victoria to southeast Queensland. In its natural habitat, A. saligna occurs where the mean annual rainfall is 300 to 1,000 mm. In drier areas it normally receives additional run-on water. The tree ranges from sea level to about 325 m elevation.