Erect annual or short-lived perennial, 3–12 dm. tall.. Stem covered with a soft tomentum of fine only slightly spreading hairs.. Leaves 7–11 (–13)-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate-cuneate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, (20–)40–70 mm. long, (4–)7–10(–14) mm. wide, appressed pilose on both surfaces; petiole (3–)5–11 cm. long.. Stipules linear-subulate, 5–15(–25) mm. long.. Racemes 6–15(–20) cm. long, with 6–16(–24) irregularly verticillate flowers; bracts subulate-caudate to lanceolate-acuminate, 8–18 mm. long, deciduous; pedicels stout, 4–6 mm. long.. Calyx 15–17 mm. long, silky tomentose; upper lip deeply divided; lower lip slightly longer, minutely 3-fid.. Standard broadly elliptic, blue with a white and yellow median zone (a white flowered variant is recorded from S. Ethiopia), glabrous; wings blue, as long as keel; keel narrow, curved up to a short blunt beak, 15–18 mm. long.. Pod broadly oblong, with a straight persistent beak, 6–7·5 cm. long, 1·5–2 cm. wide, with a rather long brownish silky tomentum, (1–)3–4-seeded; valves rather thick, impressed between the seeds.. Seeds orbicular-quadrangular, 9–10 × 8–9 × 4–5 mm., pitted, rough, cream marbled dark grey and with a conspicuous dark curved line on either side.. Fig. 137.
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