Rigid much-branched shrub up to 2 m high. Stems white or grey- to purplish-brown, sometimes as though whitewashed over a purplish background, armed with scattered broad-based usually recurved prickles up to 7 mm long; young stems densely sericeous, becoming glabrescent with age. Leaves small, with 3 digitately arranged pinnae; pinnae up to 2 cm long, sparingly to densely pubescent; leaflets 5-9 pairs per pinna, opposite or almost so, 2-8 mm long, 1-3 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, obtuse to subÂacute or sometimes acuminate apically, sparingly to densely appressed sericeous on both surfaces or on the lower only. Stipules inconspicuous. Racemes up to 5 cm long, terminal or lateral, simple, relatively few-flowered, armed with prickles, sparingly appressed-pubescent to densely sericeous; bracts ovate, aristate apically, up to 2 mm long and 1,5 mm wide, sericeous, deciduous before the buds open. Flowers pale yellow, on sericeous pedicels up to 4 mm long. Sepals 3-5 mm long, up to 2 mm wide, obovate-oblong, sparingly to densely seriÂceous, the lower sepal larger and cucullate apically. Petals 6-9 mm long, obovate, pubescent basally within, the upper one shorter and narrower. Stamens up to 10 mm long; filaments densely villous basally, glabrous above. Ovary up to 2,5 mm long, shortly stipitate, pubescent; style up to 8 mm long. Pods pinkish- to reddish-brown, strongly falcate, semi-orbicular or sometimes almost circular, the terminal remains of the style (beak) then situated close to the point of attachment of the pod, up to 2 cm long, 1-1,3 cm wide, compressed, appressed-pubescent, covered with spreading ± straight pinkish-brown prickles up to 6 mm long, indehiscent, 1-seeded. Seeds compressed, ± 6x4 mm.