Tree or shrub 1.8–7.5 m. tall, bark black or grey-brown, rough; stems usually densely ferruginous velvety, later ± glabrous. Leaves trifoliolate; petiole 1.5–6 cm. long, mostly ferruginous velvety; leaflets drying darker grey-brown above, pale brown beneath, elliptic to oblong or obovate, 2.5–12 cm. long, 1.5–8 cm. wide, subacute to rounded or ± truncate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, mostly subcoriaceous, often densely ferruginous velvety at first, later hairy only on venation beneath or ± glabrous; venation reticulate and ± prominent above, the nerves ± impressed, very prominent beneath. Inflorescences 3.5–11(–15) cm. long, including 1–5 cm. long peduncle, branched, the axes ferruginous velvety; cymules subsessile, 3–10-flowered, extremely densely placed so that apices of inflorescence-branches are solid with flowers and spadix-like, the rhachis entirely obscured but often more open at base of branches and often altogether laxer in intermediates with A. africanus. Flowers yellow-green, subsessile or pedicels only 0.5 mm. long; inner sepals 1.5 mm. wide; petals spathulate, 1.5 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, the scale densely pilose. Filaments 2 mm. long, hairy at base. Fruits pale orange, subglobose-obovoid, 7 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, pubescent, subsessile.
