A deciduous shrub or tree to 10 m. high; stem armed with large woody spines; branches glabrous, with terminal buds protected by dark scales, armed with black or reddish recurved usually paired prickles 5–17 mm. long.. Leaves 6–22 cm. long, glabrous to densely hairy; rhachis armed below with a few small scattered prickles, subterete, slightly grooved above; leaflets (1–)2–5-paired, opposite to subopposite, sessile or the terminal one on a petiolule to 15 mm., ovate–oblong to elliptic, 2.5–9.5 cm. long, (1–)2–4.3 cm. broad, acute to obtuse at the apex, cuneate at the base, slightly crenulate to subentire, chartaceous to subchartaceous, sparsely dotted with pellucid glands; lateral nerves 6–9 pairs.. Inflorescence of racemes or panicles up to 9 cm. long, borne at the base of the new branches below the first leaves (rarely in the axils).. Flowers usually clustered, yellowish green, 4–5-merous.. Male flowers: pedicels slender, 1.5–2 mm. long; sepals united at the base, 0.4 mm. long; petals elliptic, 2.5 mm. long, 1 mm. broad; stamens 4–5; filaments as long as the petals; gynophore very short; vestigial ovary ellipsoid, 1.5 mm. long.. Female flowers subsessile; staminodes reduced to the aborted anthers; ovary 1.1–1.6 mm. long.. Fruit an oblique subglobose follicle, 5–8 mm. in diameter, glandular-bullate; stipe up to 1.5 mm. long.. Seed black and shiny, 5–7 mm. in diameter.
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A shrub or small tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows 6 m tall. The crown is broad and dense. It has prickly processes on the trunk. The leaves are 6-20 cm long. There are 2-5 leaflets. The leaflet blades are 3-7 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. They are narrowly oval. The flower panicle is 9 cm long. It is at the base of new branches. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit are about 6 mm across. The seed is black and shiny.
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in dry woodland and on termite mounds. In Kenya it grows from sea level to 1,800 m altitude. It grows on coastal sands and well-drained red clay soils. It can grow in arid places.
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Dry bushland and wooded grassland; termite mounds; well drained slopes, where it is locally common; riverine forest; bushland at elevations from sea level to around 1,560 metres.
The leaves and fruit have a strong aroma and are used to flavour tea. They are also used as a vegetable. They can also be pounded, dried and stored. The bark is also used to make tea and put in soups for flavour.
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