Small deciduous generally slender tree or shrub, 3–12(–15) m. tall, with ± rounded crown; bark pale greyish, smooth to reticulately fissured; slash pinkish-white, producing (? always) a red resinous exudate from the inner side. Young branchlets generally yellowish-grey floccose-tomentose, rarely only crisped pubescent; older branchlets glabrescent. Leaves 10–26 cm. long; stipules linear, linear-lanceolate or subulate, 2–8(–10) mm. long, sometimes rather rigid and subpersistent; rhachis prolonged 1–2(–3) cm. beyond the uppermost pair of leaflets, usually tomentose, sometimes subglabrous to pubescent; stipels 2–4 mm. long, caducous; lateral leaflets in 3–5 pairs, oblong-oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic to elliptic, elliptic-obovate or obovate (the terminal leaflet at least usually broadest above the middle), 3–6(–7) cm. long, 1.6–3.5(–5) cm. wide, bluntly pointed to rounded or emarginate at apex, narrowed to the generally rounded or slightly cordate somewhat unequal-sided base, felted or subcoriaceous, subglabrous to densely pubescent above, appressed pubescent to floccose-tomentose beneath; primary lateral nerves 5–7(–8) on either side, prominent beneath; venation similarly prominent. Panicles aggregated near branch-tips, both terminal and in axils of current or more often fallen leaves, 10–30(–37) cm. long, with numerous relatively short ascending or spreading branches; axes floccose-tomentose; bracts linear to lanceolate, 2–7 mm. long, caducous; bracteoles at top of the 3–5 mm. long pedicel, linear to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 1–4 mm. long. Calyx 5–8(–9) mm. long, with a whitish to yellowish or slightly tawny floccose tomentum, occasionally ± sericeous-tomentose; lateral lobes acute to acuminate, 2–3 mm. long. Corolla 9–14 mm. long, mauve or lilac to reddish-purple; standard obovate to suborbicular, basally auriculate and with ridge-shaped calluses above. Fruit usually narrowly oblong, pointed at apex, shortly rounded or less commonly narrowed to the 3–5 mm. long stipe, sinuate between the seeds, 7–15 cm. long, 1.8–2.8(–3.5) cm. wide, pale brown, usually densely pubescent, rarely glabrescent, 1–3-seeded. Fig. 13/12, p. 69.