Each leaf has about 20 pairs of narrow, oblong leaflets, looking like a delicate feather. The rose to purple flowers are crowded at the end of a stalk. Fruits are short, inflated pods, splitting open when mature to reveal the round, hard and shiny seeds which are scarlet but black at the base. The plant is native to the tropics. It grows by the seashore among the undergrowth and in hedges.
Seeds when broken or chewed or when the external coat is removed are toxic.
The highly attractive seeds are sought after by children for beads. They are sometimes made into necklaces and rosaries. Flowering in October. Fruiting in November. Occurs in hilly region.