Lianas, to 20 m. Stem brown, terete, strong and ridged, brown tomentose, generally glabrescent. Leaves 5-foliolate; rachis 20-40 cm, including petiole 6-11 cm; leaflet blades elliptic-lanceolate to ovate-oblong, 8-20 × 4-8 cm with basal pair usually smallest, papery, abaxially densely brown velutinous, adaxially glabrous or sparsely villous, base cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse to sometimes retuse. Panicles terminal, 10-20 cm, brown tomentose; flowering branchlets spreading. Flowers 1.5-2 cm. Corolla scarlet; standard broadly ovate, with 2 basal calluses and also auriculate, outside densely sericeous. Ovary densely sericeous, with 5 or 6 ovules. Legume ovoid when 1-seeded, cylindric when several seeded, 6-13 × 2-2.5 cm, inflated but contracted between seeds, brown tomentose, tardily dehiscent, apex beaked. Seeds (1 or)2-4 per legume, tawny, ovoid, 2-3 cm in diam. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Nov.
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