Eriosema squarrosum (Thunb.) Walp.

Perennial herb up to 300 mm tall. Stems ascending, strongly branched from the base, closely clothed with deflexed hairs. Leaves trifoliolate, 25-55 x 15-20 mm, elliptic, becoming narrower and longer, grading into lanceolate near the ends of branches, lower leaves often obovate; apex acute, sometimes obtuse, base cuneate, dark green above, whitish beneath, upper surface glabrous to strigillose, lower surface finely and shortly pubescent, glandular; lateral leaflets smaller, asymmetrical. Stipules 7-10 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, free, appressed, persistent, softly pubescent and sparsely covered in glands. Petioles 2-3 mm long. Racemes axillary, up to 100 mm long, exceeding the leaves; peduncles 26-55 mm long, densely racemose beyond the middle with 10-20 reflexed imbricating flowers. Flowers 7-9 mm long, pinkish orange; bracts caducous, about half the length of the flower. Calyx 5-6 mm long, lobes equal; teeth lanceolate, equal to or slightly longer than the tube, softly white pubescent, glandular. Standard 8-9 mm long, narrowly obovate, clawed, auriculate; gland-covered and pubescent on back; appendages present, well developed, situated above the auricles and tapering towards them, fused. Wing petals 9 x 2 mm, oblong, auriculate, longer than the keel. Keel petals 7 mm long, 3 mm wide at maximum, encrusted with yellow glands, distinctly pocketed. Staminal sheath 10 mm long; free stamen geniculate. Pistil 8 mm long; ovary 4 mm long, subsessile, densely hairy almost up to point of flexure; height of curvature 3 mm; stigma capitate. Nectary present, margin undulate. Fruit 11-15 x 8-10 mm, glandular, covered in fine hairs overlain by long stiff yellow hairs. Seeds 5 x 3 mm, black or dark brown.