Subshrub or shrub, up to 1.5(2) m in height, very spiny, hermaphrodite, very ramose, sometimes intricate and \u00b1 hemispherical (when growing on dry terrains, when beaten by wind, or when grazed). Stem and older branches with brownish bark, fissured longitudinally. Young branches deep green, striated, glabrous or glabrescent, at first with some hairs, then glabrous. Spines solitary, axillary, rigid, sharp, at first with some hairs and finally glabrous. Primary spines up to 3 cm, straight or slightly arched, alternate; secondary spines smaller (up to 1 cm), sometimes absent in floral stems. Phyllodes 1-5 mm, acicular, spinescent, from which axil the secondary branchlets are born. Flowers solitary or in racemiform groups of 2-3, on the lateral spiniform branchlets, with short pubescent pedicel (2-3 mm). Calyx 7-10 mm, bilabiate, reddish-brown, villous-silky, with short very applied hairs, lips divided almost up to the base, subequal; the upper lip bidentate at the apex; the lower lip tridentate. Upper lip 2-3 mm wide, subrounded; lower lip attenuated, usually with a clearly visible constriction close to the base. Corolla 10-13 mm, papilionoid, yellow; standard glabrous; wings glabrous or with some cilia along the anterior margin, shorter than the standard and the keel; keel \u00b1 silky on the dorsal side, slightly shorter than the standard. Pod 11-15 \u00d7 5-6 mm, oblong-ovoid, compressed, dehiscent, \u00b1 villous, as long as the calyx and corolla that are marcescent, green at first and then greyish-blackish. Seeds 2-4, 2.5-3.4 \u00d7 1.6-2.2 mm, \u00b1 ovoid, slightly compressed, brown-greenish, smooth and shiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-12453","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n