Tree to 30 m high; trunk to 2 m diam.; crown rounded, branches spreading and frequently drooping to the ground in mature trees, young plants often irregularly branched and spindle-like. Bark dark brown to greenish-grey or ashen, rough; young branch-lets greenish-white or ashen, subglabrous to pubescent. Stipules spinescent, in pairs, up to 3,2 cm long, straight or slightly curved, greenish-white to light grey-brown, tips often reddish-brown when young; no prickles below the stipules. Leaves: petiole 0,5-3,7 cm long, adaxial gland absent; rhachis (1,3) 3-6(7,5) cm long, subglabrous or puberulous, with a single conspicuous gland at the junction of each of the 2(3)-10 pairs of pinnae; rhachillae (1,5)2,5-5,5(8,9) cm long; leaflets grey-green, 6-23 pairs per pinna, (2,5)4,5-9(13) x 0,75-3(5) mm, linear or linear-oblong to slightly obovate-oblong, apex rounded to subacute or mucronate, margin with or without white ciliolate hairs, glabrous or sparingly to densely appressed-pubescent ab- and/or adaxially. Inflorescences spicate, usually produced singly in the axil of a leaf, collectively forming a terminal panicle or raceme. Flowers yellowish-white to pale cream, sessile or to 0,5(2) mm pedicellate; spikes 3,5-15,7 cm long; peduncles (0,8) 2-4(6,3) cm long, subglabrous to pubescent. Calyx campanulate, glabrous to pubescent, tube 0,5-1,8 mm long, lobes 0,3-0,7 mm long. Corolla often a delicate pink inside basally, tube 0,8-2,5 mm long, lobes divided almost to the base, up to 3 mm long, glabrous to pubescent. Stamen-filaments 4-6 mm long, shortly connate basally for ± 1 mm; anthers 0,2-0,4 mm across, eglandular even in bud. Ovary 0,7-1,4 mm long, shortly stipitate, pilose; style glabrous or subglabrous. Pods bright orange to reddish-brown, falcate or curled into a circular coil or variously twisted, indehiscent, thick, 6-35 X (1,4)2-3,5(4,5) cm, glabrous or very rarely puberulous. Seeds light to dark brown, 9-12 x 4-8 mm, elliptic-lenticular; areole 7-9 x 4-6 mm, elliptic-lenticular.