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Herbaceous liana with twining stems; leaves alternate, trifoliolate; leaflets ovate-elliptic, mostly widest below the middle, apex acute, finely pubescent; inflorescence axillary; calyx largely obscured by a pair of subtending bracts; petals violet-purple, the lowermost with white and darker purple central markings; legume fruit linear, flattened, the two valves twisting open.
Additional images:
Relative to other papilionoid legumes, the flowers are usually borne in an inverted orientation. Thus, the large standard petal is usually held lowermost in the flower, contrary to its typical uppermost position.