The leaves are bright green, sensitive, and with prickly petioles and rachis. Leaflets number 12 to 30 in opposite pairs.
Flowers are pale pink, very small, in round fluffy balls and form on short stalks at the leaf axils.
The fruit is a spiny pod with 3-4 seeds. It occurs as a serious pest of cane fields, roadsides and wet coastal pastures in northern Queensland, but has not yet been recorded in the Northern Territory. It is a major weed of cultivation areas and has the ability to climb over other plants. Animals will not enter infested areas due to the plant s recurved prickles. This weed has not become established in the Northern Territory and should be reported to the nearest office of the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries.