This spiny creeping shrub comes from tropical Asia, but it is now naturalized in many tropical regions and islands, often becoming a pest. This author knowns of no similar reports from mediterranean climates. It climbs with the help of short, thick, hooked thorns which cover the whole plant. The leaves are alternate, paripinnate, the leaflets being elliptical-oblong. The erect yellow flowers come in axillary or end shoots racemes.
Fruit is an oblong dark brown pod with a rostrum, holding marbled slightly flattened seeds.
This species has made it way into a variety of new areas by the hand of man as it is perfect for growing very effective defensive hedge due to the thorns. The plant is poisonous and has some limited medicinal uses. It needs full sun and will grow happily in dry, stony, poor soils. Seeds should sprout within 40 to 50 days after sowing. I raised this plant from seeds, and planted it 5 years ago.