Much-branched shrub or tree up to 3-5 m. tall; branches ascending, ∞; branchlets us. close-set, strict, compressed, striate, glab., 1-2-(3) mm. wide. Lvs (1)-3-(5)-foliolate, glab. or nearly so; lflts up to 6 × 4 mm., obcordate-cuneate, or lobes acute, sinus narrow. Infl. of 1-3 racemes per notch, subumbellately 3-5-fld, on peduncles up to 10 mm. long, us. less. Fls ± 5 × 4 mm., on glab. pedicels c. 2 mm. long. Calyx c. 2 × 2 mm., glab. or nearly so; teeth minute, broad-triangular. Standard with purple centre and veins; keel whitish, with greenish base, auricles rounded; wings white, purple-veined, auricles bluntly pointed. Ovary glab. Pods obliquely broad-oblong, (8)-9-10 × 4-5 mm., subcompressed, dark brown to black; beak stout, subulate, almost pungent, 3-4-(5) mm. long, somewhat obliquely placed. Seeds 2-4, pale to yellowish green, ± heavily black-mottled (some plants otherwise similar have seeds with distinctly red ground-colour).

2n = 32

Shrub, up to 2 m × 2 m; sometimes suckering and forming broad patches up to 1 m tall. Branches up to 80 mm diameter, stout, ascending and spreading. Cladodes 70-150 × 1.5- 3 mm, erect to spreading, sometimes drooping, rarely divaricate, linear, striate, compressed, green to dark green, sometimes hairy when young, glabrous when mature, apex obtuse; leaf nodes 4—11. Leaves 1—3(—5)-foliolate, present on seedlings and on adult plants, terminal leaflet larger; lamina 2-7 × 1-4.5 mm, obovate, broad-obovate to broad-elliptic, fleshy, green, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, apex emarginate, base cuneate; petiole 7—11 mm long, glabrous except for a tuft of hairs at petiolule base, green; petiolule < 0.5 mm long, glabrous, light green. Leaves on cladodes reduced to scales, < 0.8 mm long, broad-triangular, glabrous, apex subacute. Stipules 0.9—1.3 × 1—1.4 mm, free, triangular, glabrous, apex subacute with a tuft of hairs, margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1 per node, each with 5—9(— 10) flowers clustered on upper third of raceme. Peduncle c. 8 mm long, glabrous, green. Bracts < 1 mm long, triangular, pale brown, adaxial surface hairy, abaxial surface glabrous, apex acute to subacute, margin hairy. Pedicel 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous, green. Bracteoles < 0.5 mm long, on upper part of pedicel or on receptacle, pale brown, adaxial surface hairy, abaxial surface glabrous, apex subacute to obtuse and with tuft of hairs. Calyx 3—3.5 × 2— 2.5 mm, campanulate, green, outer surface glabrous. Calyx lobes 0.5—1 mm long, triangular, inner surface hairy, appressed to corolla, apex acute. Standard 6— 6.5 × 7-8 mm, broad-obovate, patent, positioned towards front of keel, keeled, apex retuse or obtuse with an apiculate tip; white or with a pale central blotch, veins sometimes weakly flushed red-purple; claw c. 1 mm long, pale green. Wings 6-7 × 1.5- 2 mm, oblong, longer than keel, white, apex obtuse; auricle 0.2-0.3 mm long, triangular; claw 1.8-2 mm long, pale green. Keel (Fig. 2E) 5—6 × 1.5—1.8 mm, white, apex obtuse; auricle 0.3-0.5 mm long, triangular, white; claw 2-2.5 mm long, pale green. Stamens 4.5—5 mm long; dorsal filaments connate for c. ¾ of length, outer stamens free for c. 0.8 mm. Pistil 5-6 mm long, exserted beyond stamens, glabrous; ovules 8—9(—11); stigma with a ring of hairs at base. Pods 7—15 × 2.7-4.5 mm, oblong or broad-oblong, laterally compressed, erect, light grey or pale brown, both valves dehiscent at distal end; beak 2—2.5 mm long, in a central apical position, stout, pungenttipped. Seeds 2-3.7 × 1.6-2.4 mm, broad-oblong to broad-elliptic, 1-3 per pod, surface with 1—3 ridges, testa thin and membranous, light brown or tan. FL Dec-Mar, FT Jan—Dec.