Low spreading shrub or tree 0.4-9 m high, shrubs branching near ground-level or with aerial stems arising from a subterranean stolon, often forming large dense thickets; crown in arborescent forms rounded with the branches sometimes drooping to the ground or flattened and spreading somewhat. Bark dark grey-or reddish-brown to blackish, fissured; young branchlets pale to dark grey-or reddish-brown to purplish, sometimes appearing as though whitewashed over a purplish background, sparingly to densely grey-pubescent or tomentose, sometimes becoming glabrescent with age, epidermis sometimes splitting and flaking minutely. Stipules spinescent, in pairs, straight to arcuate or hooked, either short and 0.4-±1.5 cm long or up to 6 cm long and then straight or very slightly recurved apically, greyish-white to reddish, pubescent when young but becoming subglabrous or glabrous; 'ant-galls' and other prickles absent. Leaves: petiole 0.3-0.9(1.9) cm long, densely spreading-pubescent, adaxial gland present or absent, rounded or elongated along the petiole, up to 2 x 1.6 mm, often just below lowest pinna pair; rhachis (0)1-4.5(6) cm long, sparingly to densely spreading-pubes-cent, often with minute scattered glands, a small gland often at the junction of the top 1-3 pinnae pairs and sometimes the lowest pair; pinnae (1)4-9(12) pairs; rhachillae (0.4)1.2-2(3.4) cm long, sparingly to densely spreading-pubescent; leaflets 7-18 pairs per pinna, (1.5)2.5-5(7) x (0.75)0.9-1.5(2) mm, linear to linear-or obovate-oblong, apex rounded to subacute, margins usually with spreading cilia, sometimes cilia inconspicuous or absent, usually glabrous beneath but sometimes sparingly appressed pubescent. Inflorescences capitate, on axillary peduncles, usually fascicled and scattered along the shoots, seldom solitary. Flowers yellowish-white or cream, sessile; peduncles 0.5-2(4) cm long, sparingly to densely spreading-pubescent, hairs on peduncle often equalling or longer than its diameter, usually eglandular, becoming glabrescent and thick and ± woody with age; involucel at or shortly above the base or occasionally to almost halfway up the peduncle. Calyx glabrous except for the apices of the lobes which are sparingly to densely pubescent, tube 1.2-1.8 mm long, lobes 0.5-0.8 mm long. Corolla glabrous throughout or apices of lobes sparingly to densely pubescent, tube 2.5-3.2 mm long, lobes 0.2-0.6 mm long. Stamen-filaments free, up to 6.5 mm long; anthers with a deciduous apical gland. Ovary up to 1.6 mm long, shortly stipitate, glabrous. Pods yellowish-to greyish-brown, 4-21 x 1-4.5 cm, up to 1.5 cm thick, straight or nearly so, seldom ± falcate, turgid, oblong-ellipsoid, cylindric or fusiform, apex rounded to acute or distinctly pointed, erect or pendulous, finally longitudinally dehiscent; valves thick, hard, densely tomentellous outside, longitudinally nerved, sometimes very conspicuously so, sparingly to densely glandular. Seeds olive-to reddish-brown, on a long funicle, 6-15 x 4-11 mm, subcircular-lenticular, sometimes scarcely compressed; areole 5-12 x 2-7 mm.
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A shrub or small tree. It grows up to 7 m high. It branches near ground level. It often forms thickets. The bark is dark grey. It is cracked along its length and flakes off. The small branches are covered with hairs. It has spines which can be straight or hooked. They can be up to 3.5 cm long. The leaves are compound. They have 2-9 pairs of leaf stalks each with 7-16 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are 2-7 mm long by 1-2 mm wide. They are small and feathery. The flowers are cream-white balls. The fruit is a hard woody pod. It is 4-15 cm long by 1.4-4 cm wide. It is straight and swollen and sausage like. It is covered with grey hairs. The pod has wrinkles and ridges spiralling around it. The pods stand upright. There are 3 subspecies.
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