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Softly woody herb or small tree, 1–6 m. tall, glabrous throughout except for the calyx-margin and a few hairs on the stipules; branches less spreading than those of S. sesban.. Stems usually aculeate.. Stipules lanceolate, acuminate, erect, up to 12 mm. long and 3 or 4 mm. broad, rather persistent; leaf-rhachis up to 30 cm. long, usually aculeate; leaflets in up to 50 pairs, up to 24(–35) mm. long and 6(–10) mm. wide.. Racemes 6–20-flowered, 11–25 cm. long, including the usually aculeate peduncle of 3–6 cm.; pedicels up to 16 mm. long in fruit.. Receptacle 1.5 mm. long; calyx-tube 4–5 mm., teeth broadly acuminate, 1.5 mm. long.. Corolla a deep golden-yellow, the standard usually flecked with violet; blade of standard at first widening gradually from the 2 mm. long claw and then very abruptly so that it is subcordate just below the middle, 13–15 mm. long, 17–20 mm. wide; appendages semicircular or broadly triangular without any free tips (fig. 49/5b, c, p. 332); blade of wing 10–12 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide, hooked at the base; claw 4–6 mm. long; blade of keel 5–6 mm. long, 4 mm. wide at the base and 7–9 mm. near the apex; basal tooth large, ± parallel to the 7–8 mm. long claw (fig. 49/5a).. Filament-sheath (9–) 10–13 mm. long; free parts 4–5 mm. long; anthers 0.8–0.9 mm. long.. Ovary 24–32-ovulate; style glabrous, 4 mm. long.. Pod curved, up to 30 cm. long, 4–5 mm. wide, 3 mm. thick at the centre, less at the sutures; septa 9–10 mm. apart (fig. 51/13, 14, p. 346).. Seeds dark olive-brown, not mottled, subcylindrical, 6–6.5 × 2.5 × 2.2 mm.; hilum 0.9 mm. long.
Standard deep yellow, flecked or spotted with violet or purple on the outer face, (1.4)1.6–2.6 × (1.4)1.7–2.3(2.5) cm, the blade first widening gradually from the claw and then very abruptly so that it is subcordate just below the middle, apically emarginate, appendages semicircular or broadly triangular and without free tips; wings yellow, 1.3–2.1 cm × 4–9 mm, with upper basal acuminate tooth slightly hooked or ± horizontal and with lamellate sculpturing in upper basal and central sections on outer face; keel greenish-yellow, slightly speckled with purple, l.3–1.6 cm × 7.5–11 mm, the basal tooth usually large, horizontal, ± parallel to the petal-claw.
Leaves (6.5)10–33(45) cm long, the rachis aculeate or not; petioles (0.3)0.5–2.9(3.5) cm long; leaflets in (9)15–55(64) pairs, (0.7)1.4–3.1(4.4) cm × (2.5)3–8(13) mm (the basal pair sometimes much smaller than the others), oblong, obtuse to slightly emarginate at the apex, apiculate, slightly asymmetrical at the base, entire; stipules (0.9)1.4–2.5(2.9) cm × (2)3–5 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, slightly falcate, erect, caducous or occasionally rather persistent.
Raceme (6.3)11–26.5(27.2) cm long (especially long in E Zimbabwe), (5)6–20(21)-flowered; peduncle (1.6)3–9(10) cm long, aculeate (sometimes so densely so that the prickles fuse to form dentate ridges) or completely without prickles; pedicels 0.9–2.2(2.4) cm long; bracts 5–10 mm long, linear to linear-lanceolate, acuminate, caducous; bracteoles 3–7 mm long, linear, caducous.
A slender shrub. It has soft wood. It grows 2-6 m tall. One variety has prickles. The leaves are 10-33 cm long. There are 15-55 pairs of leaflets. These are 14-31 mm long by 3-8 mm wide. There are 6-20 flowers in a group 11-27 cm long. The fruit are pods 14-31 cm long by 4-7 mm wide. They are curved. There are 12-30 seeds in a pod.
Pod 14.5–31 cm × 3.5–6.5(8) mm, curved, long acuminate, thicker at the centre than at the sutures which are sometimes slightly constricted between the seeds particularly along the upper margin, 12–30-seeded; septa 9–12(13) mm apart; sutures of younger fruits drying green in contrast to the brown central area.
Softly woody herb, slender shrub or small tree, (1)2–6 m tall; glabrous throughout except for the calyx margin and inner surface of the calyx teeth, a few hairs on the stipules and often on the rachis and leaflet margins of juvenile leaves.
Seeds dark olive-brown to almost black, not mottled, 6–8 × 2.5–3.5 mm, 2–3 mm thick, subcylindrical to cylindrical; hilum in ± central circular pit surrounded by a white rim aril.
Stems greyish-green often tinged purplish-black, aculeate or completely without prickles.
Calyx 5–12 × 6–10 mm, the teeth 1–2 mm long, broadly acuminate.
Ovary 22–32-ovulate; style glabrous.
