Shrub branching from or near the base or a tree to 15 m high with a flattened and spreading or somewhat rounded crown. Bark greyish-or reddish-brown to black, rough, longitudinally fissured on older trunks, often ± smooth on younger stems; young branchlets greyish-or reddish-brown to purplish or blackish, flaking minutely, densely clothed with grey or whitish spreading hairs, older branchlets glabrescent. Stipules spinescent, in pairs, some short and strongly hooked, 3-10 mm long, usually intermixed with some elongate, slender and straight or slightly curved spines 1-7 cm long or some inflated spines ('ant-galls') up to 1.8 cm in diam. basally, ±bent towards the apex, greyish-white to purplish, sometimes all spines short and hooked; other prickles absent. Leaves: petiole 0.3-1.4 cm long, sparingly to densely spreading-pubescent, adaxial gland often absent, usually just below the lowest pinna pair when present, 0.4-0.9 x 0.2-0.5 mm; rhachis 0.7-4.8 cm long, sparingly to densely clothed with spreading hairs, eglandular or with a small gland at the junction of the top 1-3(5) pinnae pairs; pinnae 3-9(13) pairs; rhachillae 0.7-2.8 cm long, sparingly to densely clothed with spreading hairs; leaflets 11-26 pairs per pinna, 2-5 x 0.5-1.5 mm, linear-oblong or the terminal ones slightly obovate-oblong, apex rounded or obtuse, margins with conspicuous spreading cilia, especially apically, seldom cilia ± inconspicuous, otherwise glabrous or sometimes ± pubescent beneath. Inflorescences capitate, on axillary peduncles, usually fascicled, seldom solitary. Flowers yellowish-white, sessile; peduncles 1.2-4.3 cm long, sparingly to densely pubescent, hairs spreading but shorter than the diameter of the peduncle; involucel 1/5-2/3-way up the peduncle. Calyx shortly pubescent or puberulous apically, tube 0.8-1.3 mm long, lobes up to 0.4 mm long. Corolla glabrous, tube 2.2-3.2 mm long, lobes up to 0.5 mm long. Stamen-filaments free, up to 6.5 mm long; anthers with a deciduous apical gland. Ovary up to 1.2 mm long, very shortly stipitate. Pods brown or reddish-brown to purplish, 3.2-13 x (0.9)1-1.9 cm, straight or sometimes slightly curved, linear-oblong, longitudinally dehiscent, valves rather thin, brittle, longitudinally or obliquely veined, attenuate basally, rounded to acuminate apically, finely puberulous especially on the margins and near the base, sometimes subglabrous. Seeds olive-brown, 5.5-11.5 x 5-8 mm, elliptic to subcircular, usually longitudinal in the pod, smooth, compressed; areole 3-7 x 2.75-5 mm.
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A shrub or small tree. It grows 2-15 m high. The roots have an unpleasant smell. The young branches are covered with pale grey hairs. The spines are usually in pairs and long and straight. The leaves are 6 cm long by 4 cm wide with 5-8 pairs of leaflet stalks with small fine, hairy leaflets. The flowers are in round heads. They are creamy white. The fruit is a pod 13 cm long by 2 cm wide. It is usually flat and straight. It is stiff but not woody. It has a thick rim.
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