A perennial climbing or twining herb, 1—6 m long, with a tuberous main root and glabrous or sparsely hairy to glabrous stems. Leaves trifoliolate; stipules oblong-lanceolate, persistent, spurred, 0.8—1.7 cm long including the spur; petiole 5—18 cm long; rachis 0.8—5 cm long; petiolule 3—6 mm long; leaflets ovate-rhomboid to broadly rounded, 2.5—12 cm x 1.8—10 cm, acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate to truncate at the base, occasionally 3-lobed, glabrous or glabrescent on both surfaces, margin often ciliate. Inflorescence a several to many-flowered pseudo-raceme; peduncle 3—40 cm long; rachis 5—12 cm long, pubescent; pedicel 2—6 mm long, pubescent; bracts semi-caducous, ovate-lanceolate or elliptical, 5—11 mm x 2—4 mm; bracteoles persistent, ovate-oblong or elliptical, 7—14 mm x 5—8 mm, nearly as long as or longer than the calyx, glabrous or glabrescent; calyx glabrous or puberulous, tube 5—7 mm long, lower lip with median triangular lobe 2.5—3.5 mm long, and 2 lateral very broadly deltoid lobes 1.5 mm long, 2 upper lobes fused into an emarginate lip; standard pale-blue or mauve, obovate-oblong, 1.5—2.1 cm x 1.2—1.5 cm, emarginate; wings blue-lilac or with blue or violet margin; keel 5.5—7 mm wide, blue-lilac, whitish or with blue or violet margin, not prominently beaked. Fruit an oblong pod, square in cross-section, 3.5—8 cm x 6—7 mm, 4—8-seeded, glabrous, prominently 4-winged, wings 2.5—6.5 mm wide, slightly serrate, often striate, sometimes puberulous along the margins. Seed oblong or sub-cylindrical, (5—)6—7.5 mm x (3.5—)5—6 mm, blackish-purple, with minute granular, orange, easily removable tomentum or brown silky hairs on the edges.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Bruised leaves are applied as a compress for open cuts, wounds, and hemorrhoids. Fresh and dried leaves are consumed after boiling or as a tea to relieve the discomfort of stomach inflammations.