Tree 7.5–10(–30) m. tall, with a somewhat columnar or pyramidal crown in Africa (often more spreading in America); bark fairly smooth, grey. Branchlets with small reddish-brown mostly spreading hairs at the tips, soon glabrescent, covered with small closely arranged lenticels. Leaves 20–40 cm. long; stipules linear, 6–10 mm. long, caducous; stipels subulate, 1–5 mm. long; leaflets in 4–8 pairs, oblong-lanceolate or rather narrowly oblong to elliptic-oblong, 5–11(–17) cm. long, 2–5(–6) cm. wide, bluntly pointed to shortly acuminate, cuneate or shortly rounded at the base, soon glabrescent except sometimes for small hairs along the midrib beneath; midrib immersed above, very prominent beneath; lateral nerves fine, ± 12–18 on either side. Panicles terminal and axillary, well branched, 15–40(–60) cm. long, shortly brownish hairy; bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm. long, caducous; bracteoles inserted on very short pedicel, similar to bract. Calyx shortly toothed, 4–5 mm. long, purplish. Corolla 12–15 mm. long, pinkish to purplish-red; standard suborbicular, glabrous; wings as long as the keel. Fruit broadly ovoid or ellipsoid, slightly keeled, supported on a short thick stipe, 3.2–7.5 cm. long, rugulose, glabrous. Seed ellipsoid, slightly pointed at either end and with a small protuberance just below the hilum, ± 2.5 cm. long; testa delicate, wrinkled.
