 The specific epithet ("uncinata") is from the Latin word "uncinatus" meaning "barbed" or "hooked", referring to the fine tip of the leaves.Hook-leaved mallee is found on coastal and sub-coastal sand plains and low hills between York, the Stirling Range, Salmon Gums and Israelite Bay, growing mostly in open shrubland.The species is associated with the western mallee subgroup which is characterised by several eucalypts including "Eucalyptus oleosa", "Eucalyptus moderata", "Eucalyptus incrassata", "Eucalyptus foecunda", "Eucalyptus redunca" and "Eucalyptus eremophila".