It is a large shrub or small tree growing to 10 m tall with a trunk up to 20-30 cm diameter. The grey-green leaves are deciduous, and bipinnate, divided into 1-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna 2-3 cm long with 10-18 leaflets 3-6 mm long. Pinnae are most frequently in two pairs, with the proximal pair perpendicular to the petiolule and the distal pair forming a V at the tip. The flowers are produced in dense cylindrical spikes, each flower with five yellow petals 3 mm long and numerous yellow stamens 6 mm long. The fruit is a flat, twisted legume (pod) 6-15 cm long, containing several hard, dark brown seeds. The seed pod is constricted between seeds (a loment, and seed dispersal occurs both through dehiscence and breaks at these constrictions.

Laxative (plant); anti-inflammatory (flowers and leaves)

Medicinal plants of the South-west

Benzyl alcohol, butyric acid, coumarin, cresol, 7', 4'-trihydroxyflavan-3, 4-diol, leucoanthocyanidin, N-methyl-B-phenethylamine, N-methylpentathylamine, N-methyltyramine, anisaldehyde, benzoic acid.

For conjunctivitis (pods); diarrhea and dysentery; superficial bleeding and can also be dusted into moist, chafed body folds and dusted on infants for diaper rash (powder); for the stomach and esophagus in nausea, vomiting, and hangovers (flowers and leaves); for sore throat and mouth inflammations as well as dry raspy coughing (root).