Twigs are stout, green with yellow hairs when young and have scattered blackish spines. Leaves are alternate, compound, 13-30 cm long, with a long slender leafstalk. The three leaflets are short-stalked. The end leaflet is larger than the other two. Flowers are crowded in a mass and are 7.5-15 cm long and short stalked.
Reports vary on flowering and leaf fall.
Differences in observations may be tied to variation of annual soil moisture, and the considerable heterogeneity of flowering, leaf loss, and seed set within a single stand. They are blackish and slightly narrowed between seeds. Annual rainfall in these areas ranges from 500 to 1250 mm and is usually concentrated between November and March. However, the species is not in danger of extinction. It is not known to have been introduced elsewhere.