Mountain Rhychosia

Shrub or sometimes a small tree, 1-4 m tall. Bark smooth, dark greyish or reddish-brown; younger parts densely covered in long tawny hairs. Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets round, oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate, 2.5-11cm long, covered in velvety hairs on both surfaces, more densely so on young leaves, surface wrinkled above, net-veining conspicuous beneath and dotted with glands; stipules large and conspicuous, sheath-like, reddish-brown. Inflorescences dense, terminal, c. 4-6 cm long, most parts covered in long silvery hairs. Flowers bright yellow to greenish-yellow; standard often streaked maroon outside. Pods flattened, up to 2.5 × 0.8 cm, densely covered in yellowish silky hairs, valves spiralling when splitting.

DRC, southern Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Limpopo, South Africa.