Virgate suffrutex, up to 1.5 m tall, erect, sparingly branched below, well branched above; stems sparsely sericeous, becoming glabrous. Leaves glabrous adaxially, sparsely sericeous abaxially; dimorphic in mature plants, upper leaflets oblanceo-late to linear, conduplicate, lower leaflets broadly oblanceolate to elliptic, 30-70 x 4-16 mm, caducous, apex acute or rounded, apiculate; seedling leaflets suborbicular, 10-30 x 8-25 mm; petiole 15-30 mm long; stipules sericeous abaxially, lanceolate in mature plants, minute in seedlings. Inflorescence racemose, subsecund, up to 20-flowered, terminal, often subtended by axillary inflorescences; bracts linear, up to 6 x 1 mm; bracteoles minute. Calyx sericeous, deeply bilabiate; upper lip incipiently bidentate, 9-12 mm long; lower lip 10-14 mm long. Corolla l,emon yellow, becoming black in dried specimens; standard 10-13 x 10-12 mm, suborbicular, adaxial surface sparsely sericeous, base canaliculate/claw 2-3 mm long; wings oblong to obovate, 10-12 x 3-4.5 mm, with lunate-lamellate sculpturing in the basal and upper central zones, claw vertical,-2-3 mm long; keel acutely cymbiform, 7-9 x 3-4 mm, claw vertical, 2.5-3 mm long. Stamens monadelphous, sheath split adaxially. Ovary 9-10 mm long; style 3-4 mm long. Fruit linear, up to 60 x 4 mm, sparsely sericeous, compressed between the seeds. Seed 2-3 mm in diameter, slightly compressed.
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Perennial, virgate suffrutex, with prolific branching in upper third, up to 1.5 m high; plants turn black when dry; stems sparsely sericeous becoming glabrous. Leaves glabrous adaxially, sparsely sericeous abaxially, dimorphic in mature plants; upper leaflets oblanceolate to linear, lower ones widely oblanceolate to elliptic, conduplicate, apex acute or rounded, apiculate. Inflorescences with slender, axillary racemes and robust, terminal racemes, up to 20-flowered. Flowers with unusual inrolling of standard petal base. Pod sparsely sericeous.
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