A compact suffrutex forming dense clumps, 0.2-0.8 m tall. Stems erect, 10-60, branching at the base, arching in upper parts, rigid, brown with white storied lenticels. Seasonal shoots smooth, glabrous, yellowish green; older shoots blackish purple. Leaves 5-foliolate, distributed along the branches, held tightly to the stem, terete, petiolate; leaflets 15-22 x 0.3-0.7 mm, glandular, linear lanceolate, terminal leaflet shortest, basal pair of leaflets longest, three uppermost digitately inserted; petioles 6-7 mm long, shorter than terminal leaflet; rachis 5-10 mm long; stipules 1-2 x 0.5-1.5 mm, shorter than petiole, narrowly triangular, glabrous outside, finely hairy inside, subulate. Inflorescences axillary, borne in upper axils of seasonal shoots without leafy extension, one-flower per axil, fasciculate, 1-5 per shoot, pseudocapitate, lax, pedunculate, pedicellate; peduncles stout and rigid, 12-14 mm long; cupulum bilobed, setose or linear, 2 mm long, glabrous, terminal lobe longest, abaxial lobe with cleft, pedicels 1-4 mm long. Flowers 13-15(17) mm long, each subtended by 2 min basal hairy bracts on either side, deep azure blue to mauve. Calyx 6-7 mm long, tube 3-4 x 3.7 mm, glabrous or villoso-pubescent, ribbed, with dense flat glands, constant in size; lobes sub-equally developed, black-fringed, vexillar lobe longest, shorter than the tube, all triangular, acute, vexillar lobes fused for 1 mm above the tube; inner face of lobes densely black pubescent, glabrous outside. Standard petal 12-13 x 10-12 mm, very broadly ovate, very slightly emarginate, azure blue to mauve with a central purple flash fading towards the apex, veins darker; auriculate, appendages well-developed, swollen; claw 2-3 mm long. Wing petals 12-13 x 3-5 mm, cultrate, same colour as the standard, upper basal comprised of 2-3 rows of 6-7 transcostal lamellae bulging along mid-line; claw 3 mm long. Keel 9-10 x 3-4.5 mm, apex obtuse; claw 4-5 mm long. Androecium 11 mm long, tenth stamen lightly adherent to right hand base of sheath margin, scarcely fenestrate. Pistil 8 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm long, stipitate, upper end covered in short curved club-shaped glands; style 5 mm long, straight, then upcurved, height of curvature of 3 mm, widest at point of flexure, stigma capitate, penicillate. Fruits 4-5 x 2.5-3.0 mm, oblong. Seeds 2-4 x 2 mm, dark brown to black.
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