An annual herb or subshrub, up to 1.5 m tall, covered with conspicuous brown hairs, which are biramous and spreading with very unequally long arms, looking almost simple; branches erect, striate, becoming woody at seed maturity. Leaves imparipinnate; stipules narrowly triangular to linear, 10—12 mm long; petiole 2—5 cm long; rachis up to 9 cm long; stipels 1—2 mm; petiolule 1.5—3 mm long; leaflets 5—11, opposite, elliptical to obovate, terminal one 2.5—3.5(—6) cm x 1—2(—3) cm, lateral ones 1.5—3 cm x 0.7—1.5 cm, base cuneate, apex rounded, mucronate, hairy to strigose on both surfaces, veins distinct, main vein brown. Inflorescence a densely flowered raceme, (3—)10—30 cm long; bracts linear-triangular, about 4 mm long, caducous; peduncle 3 cm or longer; pedicel about 2 mm long; flowers up to 6 mm long; calyx about 4 mm long, with stiff brown hairs, divided almost to the base into linear, setaceous lobes; corolla red to pink; standard elliptical, 4—5 mm x 2—2.5 mm, emarginate at apex; white pubescent outside; wings 4—5 mm x 1.5 mm, hairy at upper margin; keel 4—5 mm x 1.2—1.5 mm, upper margin with hairs, lateral pocket 0.7 mm long; staminal tube 4.5 mm long; anthers 0.4 mm long; ovary hairy with 6—9 ovules. Fruit a reflexed, straight pod, rounded to tetragonal in cross-section, 1—2 cm x 1—2.5 mm, with well developed sutures, and with long spreading hairs, dehiscent, (4—)6—9-seeded, endocarp blotched. Seed cuboid, 1 mm long, brown, distinctly pitted.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

A decoction made from the leaves is used against stomach problems and yaws.