Small to medium-sized tree up to 20(–25) m tall, glabrous; bole straight, branchless for up to 10 m, up to 90 cm in diameter, without buttresses; bark scaly, greyish brown to blackish. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound, with 2–5(–6) pairs of pinnae; petiole 4–9 cm long, rachis 2–18 cm long; leaflets alternate, shortly stalked, 11–21 per pinna, elliptical to obovate-elliptical, 1–3 cm × 0.5–2 cm, usually notched at apex. Inflorescence an axillary raceme (3–)6–18 cm long; peduncle 1–4.5 cm long. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, white; pedicel 1.5–3.5(–5) mm long; calyx 0.5–1 mm long, toothed; petals free, elliptical, 3–5 mm × 1–1.5 mm; stamens 10, with filaments 5–6 mm long; ovary superior, oblong, shortly stalked, 1-celled, style slender, curved near apex. Fruit an oblong indehiscent pod 8–17(–20) cm × 2–3.5 cm, usually bluntly tetragonal in section, woody, brown, glossy, septate between the seeds, c. 10-seeded. Seeds 10–13 mm × 7–8 mm, slightly flattened, hard, brown.

Vermifuge (root decoction)

PROTAbase: Amblygonocarpus andongensis

A root decoction is administered as an emetic to treat food poisoning, against colic and cough. The bark is used as an antidote for snakebites, a bark decoction is applied to sores, a leaf extract is used to treat stomach-ache, and pulverized pods are applied to ulcers.