Trees, to 17 m, to 20 cm d.b.h. Bark of stems dark gray, with shallow longitudinal stripes. Young branches and leaves densely appressed rusty brown pubescent, becoming sparsely hairy or glabrescent. Leaves imparipinnate, 19-40 cm; petiole 3.5-7 cm; rachis 5.5-15.5 cm, prolonged 3-15 mm below terminal leaflet; leaflets (5-)7-9(-13); petiolule 6-8 mm, grooved, rusty pubescent, becoming glabrate; blades obovate-lanceolate or obovate-elliptic, rarely elliptic, terminal leaflet larger, 6-20 × 1.5-7 cm, thinly leathery, base cuneate or suborbicular, apex acute or caudate; midvein raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 11 pairs, angled 40° with midvein, lateral veins and veinlets inconspicuous on both surfaces, scattered rusty brown appressed pubescent or glabrous abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Panicles terminal on young branches, 15-26 cm; peduncle and pedicel densely appressed rusty pubescent. Pedicel 6-12 mm; bractlets 2, at pedicel apex, lanceolate, 3-5 mm, densely appressed rusty brown pubescent. Flowers 2-2.5 cm. Calyx light brown-green, 1.5-2 cm; teeth oblong-lanceolate, slightly obtuse, upper 2/3 of upper pair connate, densely appressed rusty pubescent; tube short. Corolla purplish red, ca. 1.5 cm; standard rounded, cucullate, upper margin strongly inflexed, yellow spotted subcentrally, claw short, thick, compressed; keel similar to wings, elliptic-obovate, apex obtuse, claw short. Stamens unequal, all functional; filaments basally thickly compressed. Ovary flattened, densely appressed rusty brown silky pubescent; ovules usually 4; style incurved, glabrescent. Legumes semicircular or oblong, 5-12 × 5-6.8 cm, apex obliquely beaked, stipe compressed, 5-10 mm, convex at seed; valves woody, dehiscent, ca. 2 mm thick, externally yellow pubescent or glabrescent, internally glossy, often whitish, stained reddish, septum absent, slightly thickened at margin, tip reflexed; calyx persistent. Seeds 1-4, large, oblong, obtuse at ends, 2.5-3.3 × 1.7-2.7 cm, slightly flattened; testa red or red-purple, fleshy, becoming thin and fragile when dry; hilum suborbicular, 3-4 mm. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Nov.
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