Annual or perennial trailing or entirely prostrate herb, up to 1·8 m. long, or sometimes suberect and short, ± 15 cm. tall.. Stems densely covered with spreading yellowish or dark brown bristly hairs.. Leaflets 3, ovate to lanceolate in outline, 2·8–10 cm. long, 0·7–7 cm. wide, entire to more usually 3-lobed or pinnatifid; lobes up to 9, the basal ones sometimes bifid at the apex, subacute and mucronulate at the apex, rounded to cuneate at the base, adpressed bristly pubescent on both surfaces; tertiary venation closely parallel and at right-angles to the midrib; petioles 2–26 cm. long; rhachis 0·5–3 cm. long; petiolules 3 mm. long; stipules lanceolate, 5–10 mm. long, prolonged and subcordate at the base.. Inflorescences axillary, sub-umbellate, 1–3-flowered; peduncle 4–25 cm. long; pedicels ± 1 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles deciduous, lanceolate, 2–3·5 mm. long.. Calyx densely covered with white or brown bristly hairs; tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes linear-lanceolate, 5–9 mm. long, the upper pair joined for two-thirds of their length.. Standard mauve, paler outside, obovate, 1–1·8 cm. long, 1·5–2 cm. wide, emarginate, glabrous; wings mauve; keel cream, the beak short, not twisted.. Pods erect, linear-cylindrical, 3·8–5 cm. long, 4–5 mm. wide, sparsely covered with adpressed white or dark brown bristly hairs, 5–8-seeded.. Seeds brown speckled dark brown, oblong, longest dimension 3–4·5 mm., shorter dimension 2–3 mm., 2–5 mm. thick; rim-aril developed, greenish.
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