Twining and clambering vine; stems long pilose. Leaves pinnate trifoliolate; leaflets ovate, elliptical or linear, often 2-3 lobed, the lobes and sinuses mostly rounded; apically acute or obtuse, mucronate, basally obtuse or truncate, the costa and the major lateral veins prominent beneath, obscure above; softly to-mentose on both sides, more so beneath, mostly 2-4 cm long, 8-25 mm wide; lateral petiolules ca. 1.5 mm long, terminal petiolule ca. 2 mm long, petiole and rachis spreading short pilose; stipels subulate, 1 mm long, pubescent; stipules narrowly acute, striate, ca. 3 mm long. Inflorescences to 30 cm long, the flowers distributed along the apex of the peduncle; peduncle retrorsely short pilose; bracts and bracteoles narrowly ovate, acute, 1-1.5 mm long, cucullate, nervate, ciliolate; pedicels 1-2 mm long, puberulent. Flowers deep red to black purple; calyx tu-bular campanulate, densely pilose or merely puberulent, the tube 4 mm long, the teeth lanceolate, ca. 2 mm long, subequal; standard 1.5-2 mm long. Legume linear, 7-10 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, appressed pilose; seeds oblong ovoid, dark, shiny, ca. 3 mm long, the aril white.
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Perennial prostrate herbs, sometimes rooting at nodes. Stems pubescent or tomentose. Stipules ovate, 4-5 mm, pilose; petiole 0.5-5 cm; leaflets ovate to rhombic, 1.5-7 × 1.3-5 cm, sometimes lobed, lateral ones oblique, lobed on outer side, abaxially silvery tomentose, adaxially pubescent, base rounded, apex obtuse or acute. Inflorescences with peduncle 10-25 cm and rachis 1-8 cm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 6 mm, white pilose. Corolla deeply blackish purple; standard 1.5-2 cm, with long claw. Legumes linear, 5-9 cm × ca. 4 mm, apex rostrate, 12-15-seeded. Seeds marbled with brown and black striae, oblong-elliptic, ca. 4 mm.
Moist or dry thickets, usually twining over shrubs, sometimes procumbent on banks, at elevations up to 1,200 metres in Guatemala.
Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
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