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Erect annual herb, 1–2 m. tall; stems sparsely pilose when young, glabrous later, sometimes aculeate.. Stipules narrowly lanceolate, up to 9 mm. long, rather persistent, pilose, spreading; leaf-rhachis sometimes sparsely aculeate on lower side, sparsely pilose on upper surface, 10–22 cm. long; leaflets in 20–30 pairs, up to 24 mm. long and 6 mm. wide, glabrous, pale green above, purplish beneath.. Racemes 2–12-flowered, almost glabrous, the rhachis up to 11 cm. long, including a peduncle of up to 3.5 cm. which is always covered with flat hooked prickles at the base; bracts narrowly lanceolate, spreading, up to 4 mm. long, usually persisting till after the corolla has fallen off; pedicels up to 15 mm. long.. Receptacle 1.5 mm., calyx-tube 3 mm., teeth acuminate, 1.5 mm. long.. Blade of standard 7–10 mm. long, 9–13 mm. wide; appendages gently rounded, up to 0.5 mm. wide; claw 4 mm. long; blade of wing 8–10 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, toothed but hardly hooked at the base; claw 4 mm. long; blade of keel 5–6 mm. long, 3 mm. wide at the base, 7 mm. near the apex; basal tooth at an angle of 20°–30° with the 5–6 mm. long claw.. Filament-sheath 7–9 mm., free parts 3–4 mm., anthers 0.5 mm. long.. Ovary slightly winged, glabrous, 15–25-ovulate; style pubescent except at the base, 3–4 mm. long.. Pod slightly curved, 12–16 cm. long, including a beak of 6–7 mm. and a stipe of 8–9 mm., the sutures expanded into 4 wings each 4–6 mm. wide (fig. 49/14, p. 332), 15–20-seeded; pod, apart from wings, 5 mm. wide, 3 mm. thick; septa 6–8 mm. apart.. Seeds yellow, not mottled, rounded-oblong, 4.5 × 3 × 2 mm.; hilum 0.5 mm. long.
Standard pale yellow with dark purple speckling on the outer face, 0.9–2 × 0.8–1.8 cm, broad, rounded, apically emarginate, the blade often wider than long, sometimes prominently cordate basally, the appendages gently rounded and without free tips; wings yellow, 1–2 cm × 3–6 mm, with an upper basal very slightly downward-pointing tooth and with lamellate sculpturing in the upper basal section on outer face; keel pale yellow to greenish-yellow, 0.7–1.6 cm × 5–9 mm; basal tooth usually at an angle of 10–30° with the claw but occasionally at 45° (e.g. Richards 14469).
Leaves (5.5)7–38 cm long, the rachis sparsely pilose on the upper surface, sometimes sparsely aculeate below; petioles (0.2)0.3–1.8(3.5) cm long; leaflets in (9)16–42 pairs, 0.8–4.3 cm × 2–10.5 mm, often purplish beneath, oblong, apiculate, occasionally obscurely pilose on margins and midvein beneath, otherwise glabrous; stipules 5–10 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, pilose, usually spreading and persistent, often with a curled apex.
Raceme 3.4–16.2 cm long, 2–13-flowered; peduncle 1.8–7 cm long, beset, often densely so, with flattened, sometimes fused prickles especially at the base, the prickles occasionally tipped with hairs; pedicels 0.4–2.1 cm long, glabrous; bracts 3–5.5 mm long, linear to narrowly lanceolate, spreading, caducous or persisting until after the corolla has fallen off; bracteoles 2–4 mm long, linear-lanceolate, caducous.
An annual herb. It grows 1-2 m tall. The young stems have a few hairs. The leaves are 7-38 cm long and 16-42 pairs. The flowers are in groups with 2-12 flowers. The pods are 12-16 cm long and slightly curved. The seeds are yellow. They are 4.5 mm long by 3 mm wide and 2 mm thick.
Pod (8.3)12–23.3 × (0.9)1–1.4 cm, linear or slightly curved, shortly beaked, stipitate, 4-winged, (9)19–28-seeded, glabrous; wings darker than the central window-like areas above the seeds except in very old fruit; septa 6–8 mm apart.
Seeds ochre, olive-green sometimes over-coloured bluish-black, brown or reddish-brown, 4–5.5 × 2–4 mm, 1.5–2.5 mm thick, ellipsoid to brick-shaped; hilum in small subcentral circular pit surrounded by a rim aril.
Stems greenish or tinged purplish-blue, sparsely pilose when young, glabrous later, sometimes with a few to many scattered prickles.
Calyx 4–7 × 4.5–8 mm; tube glabrous; teeth 0.5–1.5 mm long, acuminate, marginally hairy.
Erect annual or biennial herb 1–4 m tall, sometimes with wide regular branching.
Ovary winged, 15–32-ovulate, glabrous; style pubescent except at the base.
