A scandent or scrambling shrub, branches hairy, armed with straight prickles. Stipules large, foilaceous and lobed. Leaves 30-45 cm long, rachis with 1-2 recurved stipellate spines at the base of each pinna and scattered straight or recurved prickles between the pinnae, pinnae 6-8 pairs, opposite, 5-15 cm long. Leaflets 6-10 pairs on each pinna, opposite, 1.7-4.0 cm long, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, mucronate, more or less hairy, subsessile. Inflorescence axillary and terminal pedunculate raceme, 15-30 cm long. Pedicel 5 mm long, bracts and pedicel hairy with brown tomentum, bracts exceeding the buds. Calyx 5-7.5 mm long. Petals 1-1.5 cm long, oblanceolate, the upper smaller and sometimes spotted with red. Filaments flattened and hairy in the lower half. Pods 5-7.5 cm long, 3-5 cm broad, shortly stalked, densely covered with prickles. Seeds 1-2.