Perennial herb with a woody rootstock, up to 0.5 m. tall. Stems appressed strigulose. Leaf-rhachis up to 5 cm. long, including a petiole of up to 3 cm., prolonged up to 2 cm. beyond lateral leaflets; stipules sublinear, up to 8 mm. long; leaflets 3–5, lanceolate, up to 8 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, coriaceous, acute, with a dense network of veins prominent on both surfaces, glabrous above (in Flora area), appressed strigulose beneath. Flowers yellow and red in lax terminal pseudoracemes, sometimes a few in the upper leaf-axils; bracts sublinear, persistent, up to 6 mm. long; pedicels 4–5 mm. long. Calyx brownish pubescent; tube ± 2 mm. long; teeth triangular, ± 3 mm. long, except the lowest which is 4 mm., the upper pair united almost to the tip. Standard brownish pubescent outside, emarginate, ± 11 mm. long; wings ± 11 mm. long, with a claw of 3–5 mm.; keel glabrous, ± 7 mm. long. Upper filament lightly attached, widened but not callous 1 mm. above the base; filament-sheath ± 7 mm., free parts ± 2 mm. long. Style glabrous, bent through 90° near the base, then straight, linear; stigma with a few short hairs, not penicillate. Pod appressed strigulose, ± 6 cm. long by 4 mm. wide. Seed ± 14, oblong-ellipsoid, longitudinal; hilum one-third along the side, hardly arillate.
