Large, woody liana up to 15 or more m. tall, the branchlets glabrous, longi-tudinally striate, the old stems rather shaggy-barked. Leaves large, bipinnate, the pinnae commonly about 4 pair, opposite, the leaflets mostly 5-8 pairs per pinna; petiole mostly 4-8 cm. long, eglandular, glabrous, flattened above; rachis similar to the petiole, eglandular; pinnae usually 6-15 cm. long, the axis often puberulent above; leaflets oblong, 15-40 mm. long and 5-18 mm. wide, usually rounded apically and obliquely so basally, glabrous or sometimes sparingly pubescent below or along the margins, glossy above, the venation prominently reticulate; stipules linear, small, caducous. Inflorescence a large, terminal raceme (often 2 dm. long) of slender spikes, the latter 6-7 cm. long, inserted singly or in pairs; floral bract-lets not apparent; axis usually puberulent. Flowers small, very briefly stipitate, reported reddish, pinkish, whitish or greenish, with a disagreeable odor; calyx shallowly cupulate, scarcely 1 mm. deep, briefly dentate, glabrous; corolla of 5, free, narrowly oblong, glabrous petals about 2 mm. long; stamens 10, somewhat exceeding the petals, glabrous, the anthers (at least in youth) gland-tipped; ovary glabrous. Legume large, oblong, commonly 25-30 cm. long and 6 or 7 cm. wide, curved, flat, thin, glabrous, lustrous, the valves in time breaking into segments, the margins persistent; seeds comparatively small, oblong, no more than 1 cm. long.
Home