A tree up to 45 m tall, branches armed with simple or branched, flat thorns. Leaves up to 20 cm long, bipinnate with 4—16 pairs of pinnae, or pinnate and 14—32-foliolate, leaflets oblong-lanceolate, 4 cm x 1.5 cm, sparsely crenulate. Inflorescence a downy raceme up to 7 cm long, flowers 3 mm diameter, green, staminate flowers preponderant, bisexual flowers with a pedicel up to 8 mm long. Fruit flat, falcate, twisted, 45 cm x 4 cm, dark shining brown, many-seeded. Seed 9 mm x 5 mm, embedded in pulpy tissue.

Acts as anodyne.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

(+)-Catechin, glucose, leucocyanidin (fruit); acetic acid, galactose, mannose (seed); fisetin, fustin (wood); glucuronic acid (resin, exudate, sap); tannin (leaf)

Used for dyspepsia and measles (pods); to cure diarrhoea (decoction of dried pods); for blood disorders, coughs, colds, fevers, smallpox and measles (bark); for whooping coughs (infusion of bark).