Tree to 8 m. tall; trunk not described but probably prickly; begins to flower before leaves appear.. Young branchlets velvety ferruginous, presumably becoming glabrous with age, ridged, armed with straight spines.. Leaflets narrowly to broadly ovate-rhomboid, 10–28 cm. long, 8·5–22·5 cm. wide, narrowed to a very broadly rounded apex, truncate, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, ferruginous tomentose and hairy when very young, soon quite glabrous or very sparsely pubescent beneath; main nerves often with scattered small prickles; petiole 8–26 cm. long, prickly; rhachis 2·5–9 cm. long; petiolules 5–10 mm. long.. Inflorescences dense; rhachis ± 15 cm. long, densely covered with pale ferruginous hairs; peduncle 18–20 cm. long, velvety but at length glabrescent; pedicels 2–3 mm. long; primary and secondary bracts linear-spathulate, 0·6–1·1 cm. long, 1–2 mm. wide; bracteoles filiform, 0·5–1·5 cm. long, 0·5 mm. wide, all soon deciduous or sub-persistent in upper part of inflorescence.. Calyx fusiform, at first densely hairy, later glabrescent; tube 1·3 cm. long, split unilaterally to near the base to form a distinct spathe; limb divided into 5 linear lobes 0·8–1·3 cm. long and 0·5–1·5 mm. wide.. Standard scarlet, rather short-clawed, elliptic, 3·1–3·5 cm. long, 1·5–1·8 cm. wide, ± glabrous or with scattered hairs outside; keel-petals almost round, shorter than the wings, the former a seventh, the latter a quarter the length of the standard.. Pods ± 8 cm. long, constricted between the seeds to form subglobose compressed compartments 1 cm. long and 1·5–2 cm. wide, glabrescent.. Seeds scarlet, ellipsoid, longest dimension 8·5 mm., shorter dimension 6·5 mm., 6·5 mm. thick; hilum black.
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