Erect or sometimes climbing shrub to 5m with scattered prickles, young stems glabrous to pubescent, prickles to 9mm long. Bipinnate leaves with 3-17 pairs of pinnae with 4-33 pairs of leaflets. Mucronate pubescent leaflets, uppermost to 13mm x 5mm. Terminal & lateral racemes to 240mm long with bracts to 6mm long, mauve-pink or rarely yellow flowers with sepals to 12mm long, petals to 20mm x 15mm. Boat-shaped or anvil-shaped pod to 50mm x 22mm with an acute beak