Perennial herb or small shrub 15–60 cm. high or often prostrate. Young stems with fine ± appressed puberulence (or, but not in Flora area, with spreading pubescence), eglandular. Leaves 3–12 cm. long; petiole and rhachis eglandular. Stipules small, narrowly triangular to ovate-triangular, 3–9 mm. long, 1–2.5 mm. wide near base. Leaflets in (3–)4–6(–7) pairs, obovate-elliptic to obovate-oblong, 1–4.3 cm. long, 0.4–2(–2.7) cm. wide, rounded to subtruncate or emarginate at apex, occasionally subacute, minutely appressed-puberulous (or, but not in East Africa, pubescent). Racemes (including peduncle) 2–25 cm. long. Bracts subtending flower-buds 3–5 mm. long, 3–3.5 mm. wide. Petals yellowish-white to bright yellow, 0.85–2 cm. long, 0.35–1 cm. wide. Stamens 9–10; filaments straight or nearly so; 2 anthers large, 4–5 medium, 3 small. Pods oblong, flattened, upwardly falcate, 3–6 cm. long, 1.3–2 cm. wide, blackish, transversely venose, with a ridge of raised crests running along the middle of each valve. Seeds ± compressed, in same plane as pod, ovate, apiculate near hilum, 6–7 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, about 1.25 mm. thick, reticulate-rugose, with a small areole 1–1.25 × 0.5 mm. on each face.
