Low erect or rarely spreading shrub to c. 1 m tall. Hairs of branchlets and lower leaf surfaces not reflective-sparkling. Branchlets usually densely subsericeous to tomentose except on larger ridges. Adult leaves ascending, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 3–4 (–5) cm long, 1.8–2.5 mm wide, usually solitary or irregularly arranged, sometimes a weak tendency to occur in clusters of 3; upper surface usually glabrous. Pedicels 4–6 mm long. Flower colour: perianth and style usually pink or occasionally white. Pistil 7–10 mm long.

Flowers Aug.–Nov.

Occurs in N.S.W., in the lower Hunter region from Morriset N to Karuah area, and inland to Booral, Stroud and Scone; possibly also in the Putty area.

Grows mainly in open low eucalypt associations on slopes in heavy loam or clay-loam soils, occasionally also on heathy woodland flats, occasionally (Karuah) in seasonally waterlogged areas.

Regenerates from seed and rhizomes.

N.S.W.: 3.2 km W of Karuah, L.A.S. Johnson NSW26271 (NSW); Yalimbah Creek, 2 km N of Karuah River, K.L. Wilson 2569 & J. Waterhouse (NSW); Owens Gap W of Scone, C. Burgess CBG030789 (CANB, DNA, NE, NSW); NW along Freemans Drive towards Cooranbong from Mandalong Rd intersection, R.O. Makinson 1628, 1630 (CANB, NSW).

Subsp. humilis tends to propagate by rhizomes, and stands are usually fairly uniform in morphology and flower colour. Juvenile and early sucker leaves vary between populations, those in the Morriset to Cooranbong area being narrowly acute-elliptic, c. 2.5 cm long and c. 2 mm wide, with a dense indumentum on the lower surface; those from the Rathmines area are up to 4 cm long and 8 mm wide, narrowly obtuse-obovate and with a sparse indumentum below. A specimen from Kincumber South, N.S.W., is recorded as 8 ft [c. 2.5 m] tall, in a sandstone habitat; this may represent an intergrade with G. linearifolia. Occasional specimens from the Cooranbong and Cessnock areas are suggestive of an intergrade with G. parviflora subsp. parviflora, which occurs in these areas. A population at Owens Gap, NW of Scone, is here tentatively assigned to subsp. humilis; it is very similar to northernmost populations of G. sericea somewhat to the west (Merriwa area), and is growing in a much drier site than is usual for G. humilis, but has pistils < 14 mm long and stylar papillae restricted to the apical 0.5 mm of the style. Grevillea sericea usually has pistils ≥ 14 mm long, and papillae extending for 1–3 mm from the style apex. Grevillea humilis subsp. humilis approaches the range of G. virgata N of Karuah; the latter species is a more robust, erect plant to 2 m tall, with longer internodes, spreading leaves usually in well-spaced clusters of three), reddish stems (brown in G. humilis subsp. humilis), and white flowers.

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 16 (1995), 17A (2000) and 17B (1999), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia