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Shrub armed by spinescent stipules and ramose spines. Leaves bipinnate; rachis and pinnae with extrafloral nectaries; leaflets opposite, sessile. Inflorescences composed of pedunculate corymbs. Flowers bisexual, pentamerous, dimorphic. Calyx connate, valvate. Corolla connate, valvate. Stamens numerous, united into a tube at the base, merging with the corolla-tube. Ovary solitary, sessile. Pods woody, dark brown, ± moniliform, ± curved, separating into one-seeded, indehiscent segments at maturity; exocarp loosening irregularly at maturity. Seeds with a hard testa, with pleurogram, wingless; aril absent; endosperm absent; cotyledons large, radicle curved.
Shrub often with spines on branches, especially young growth and coppice shoots. Leaves bipinnate; leaf axes with extrafloral nectaries; stipules spinescent; pinnae 1-4-jugate; leaflets opposite, 3-7 (-8)-jugate, sessile. Inflorescences axillary, pedunculate clusters, bearing bisexual, 5-merous, heteromorphic flowers. Sepals and petals valvate and united. Stamens numerous, united in a short basal tube and with base of corolla; anthers eglandular. Pod ±compressed-moniliform, dehiscing in 1-seeded, indehiscent segments. Seeds with hard coat and pleurogram.
Pod oblong, ± falcate or spirally curved, compressed, with the margins lobed, ± constricted between the seeds, at maturity breaking up into coriaceous or hard 1-seeded joints, or sometimes apparently indehiscent; mesocarp only slightly developed, septate.
Leaves bipinnate, pinnae each with several to many pairs of leaflets; gland on upper side of petiole present or absent, glands often also present at insertion of the pinnae and on the upper part of the pinna-rhachis.
Flowers hermaphrodite, or said to be rarely male and hermaphrodite; 1 to several central flowers in each head often modified and different in form from the others, and sometimes at least hermaphrodite.
Stamens numerous (c. 16-22), fertile, their filaments united in their lower part into a slender tube not or scarcely projecting from the corolla (or very shortly so in the modified central flowers).
Inflorescences of round heads which in the African species are pedunculate and mostly solitary or paired (sometimes in threes) in the axils.
Trees or shrubs, unarmed, at least the mature shoots.
Corolla gamopetalous, infundibuliform, (4)5-lobed.
Calyx gamosepalous, shortly (4)5-dentate.
Seeds ± compressed, exarillate.
