Shrub or tree up to 9 m high, spiny; young stems and spines green, appressed puberulous, glabrescent. Spines arising 0.5–1.5 cm above the leaf axil, (3–)4.5–10(–13) cm long, sometimes widened dorsiventrally at the base. Scale-leaves frequent, usually falling quickly, up to 2 mm long. Foliage leaves usually few, subsessile or with petiole up to 3 mm long; leaflets sessile, elliptic, obovate or obovate-spathulate, 2.2–6.2 x 1.2–3.8 cm, thinly leathery, cuneate at the base, rounded to acute at the apex, glabrous above, often sparsely appressed puberulous below. Flowers 4-, rarely 5-merous, in clusters usually on the spines but sometimes on the parent axis; pedicels 3.5–10 mm long, tomentellous. Sepals 4.5–5 mm long, silky-hairy. Petals narrowly obovate-oblong, yellowish-green to white, 6–7 mm long. Stamens 8(–10). Ovary glabrous; style c. 1.5 mm long. Fruit not markedly elongating in early development, first ellipsoidal, pointed at both ends, then ovoid, ripening yellow, orange or pale red, 2.4–3.6 x 1.5–2 cm.