Shrub or small tree 0.6–5 m. high, branching from or near base.. Young branchlets shortly pubescent, going grey or brown.. Stipular spines paired at nodes, 2–5 mm. long, straight or hooked.. Leaves up to 8 cm. long; pinnae 2–8 pairs, rather short; leaflets 3–6 pairs, mostly elliptic, 2–7 mm. long, 1.25–3.5 mm. wide, mostly rounded at apex, puberulous.. Racemes 1–4(–10, fide Chiovenda) cm. long.. Sepals 4–5 mm. long.. Petals yellow, upper one rhombic, 8 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide, not or scarcely clawed; the other petals lanceolate, 6–6.5 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, tapering towards apex, ± erose upwards.. Pods narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, rarely linear-oblong, 4.5–9.5 cm. long, 1.1–2.5 cm. wide, 1–4-seeded, acute or sometimes rounded and apiculate at apex, attenuate-stipitate at base; valves thin, stiffly papery, closely and longitudinally or obliquely veined; upper suture ± thickened, and flattened transversely to the flat plane of the pod or somewhat channelled.. Seeds somewhat compressed, obovoid-ellipsoid, 6–7 mm. long, 5–6 mm. wide, subtruncate at apex, mottled with olive and dark brown, smooth but not glossy.. Fig. 8.
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