The centre of mature fruiting bodies is noticeably scurfy, or scaly. The gray leaves are very dense with short scurfy hairs. An analogous disease is also observed in a spontaneous Foxp3-mutant mouse known as "scurfy". It has dark-reddish glabrous branches that are sometimes scurfy. The glabrous or subglabrous and scurfy branchlets have spinose stipules with a length of . The phyllodes have a curved point, are glabrous and sometimes scurfy with four non-prominent nerves. The branchlets are a scurfy white colour with inconspicuous stipules. They are dark green, stiff and leathery, and often scurfy underneath with yellow-brown pubescence. It is sometimes slightly scurfy at the center, and has pale striations at the margin. Their surface is scurfy, usually without tubercles. Caps are scurfy to smooth, and range from roughly flat to umbonate. It has corky bark, scurfy branchlets with resinous ribs and dark red-brown coloured new shoots. The glabrous and angular branchlets have a light brown colour and are usually scurfy. It is dry, scurfy to nearly smooth and white, staining brown with age. The specific epithet "squarrosa" is derived from Latin, and means "scurfy".