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Diffuse shrub. Stems twining, slender, about 1.2 m long, not striate-ribbed. Leaflets broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, 30-72 x 25-40 mm, mucrons absent, densely villous on both sides; petiole (6-)10-25 mm long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 5-7 x 2-3 mm. Flowers in leaf-opposed racemes, sometimes unifloral, peduncles longer than petioles, without warts, 25-35 mm long, with 2 to 10 flowers; flowers 10-20 mm long; bracts lanceolate to ovate, 3-5 x 0.8-1 mm; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 1-2 x ±0.5 mm. Calyx glabrous or densely silky, lips almost equal in length, upper lip 4-7 mm long, lower lip 4-8 mm long, carinal lobe of the lower lip longer and narrower than lateral ones. Corolla purple or pink, fading creamy with age; standard suborbiculate, 7-16 x 7-12 mm, claw 1-2 mm long; wings obovate, 6-12 x 6-8 mm, claw 2-3 mm long; keel more or less equal to the wings, 6-12 x 3-5 mm, claw 2-5 mm long. Ovary narrowly oblong, 6 to 10-ovuled, 6-10 mm long. Fruit straight or crescent-shaped, 38-65 x 6-10 mm, glabrescent, not warty along the margins, 6-many-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid or reniform, dark brown to black.
Perennial climbing or prostrate herb, 0.6-2.1 m high; stems slender, covered with spreading or appressed hairs. Leaflets ± ovate-triangular, rounded or truncate at base, silky-pubescent on both surfaces, 9-85 mm long; lateral ones oblique. Inflorescences 2-4-flowered racemes; peduncle ± as long as leaf. Flowers pink or bluish purple; standard petal sometimes greenish. Calyx: tube 3-4 mm long, glabrous to densely silky pubescent; lobes deltoid or narrowly triangular. Pod oblong, subfalcate, glabrous to silky pubescent, many-seeded. Seeds dark red-brown or flesh-coloured, mottled black.
Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets 0.9–7.2 × 0.5–4.6 cm, ovate to slightly rhombic, sometimes slightly lobed, rounded to truncate at the base, rounded or acuminate at the apex, sparsely to densely pilose on both surfaces, 3-veined from the base; petiole 1.5–5.8 cm; rhachis 5–12 mm long; petiolules 1–2 mm long; stipules 4–6 mm long, striate, ovate; stipels 3–5 mm long, lanceolate.
Inflorescence axillary, subcapitate or a short raceme; peduncle 0.5–9.8 cm long; rhachis 5–15 mm long; pedicels 3–11 mm long; bracts 1–2 mm long, striate; bracteoles 2–7 mm long, striate.
Calyx pilose (in the Flora Zambesiaca area); tube 3–4 mm long; lobes 1–6 mm long, triangular, upper pair fused along most or all of their length.
Ovary 7–10 mm long, linear-oblong, compressed, pubescent; style 5–8 mm long; stigma minute, terminal, capitate, penicillate.
Pods 4.2–7.8 cm × 3–10 mm, glabrous or nearly so when mature, or persistently pubescent or velvety, 5–12-seeded.
Standard pink or magenta fading bluish-purple, 10–18 × 10–13 mm, oblate; wings purple; keel paler to white.
Seeds pinkish, reddish-brown or mottled black, 4–6 × 2–4 × 1–2 mm, oblong-reniform, compressed.
Climbing or prostrate herb, 0.6–2.1 m long, arising from a perennial tuberous rootstock.
Stems annual, slender, moderately to densely appressed or spreading pubescent.
