Medium-sized deciduous tree up to 30 m tall; bole branchless for up to 15 m, straight and cylindrical, up to 80(–120) cm in diameter, without buttresses or with small, thick buttresses; bark pinkish or greenish grey, smooth or shallowly fissured, inner bark fibrous, yellowish to orange-brown, with darker stripes and brownish gum; crown dome-shaped, with spreading branches; young branches pubescent, but usually soon glabrescent. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound with (1–)2–3(–4) pairs of pinnae; stipules awl-shaped, caducous; petiole 4–10 cm long, near the base of upper side with a sessile gland, rachis 2–13 cm long, pubescent but glabrescent; leaflets in 2–5 pairs per pinna, sessile, obliquely rhombic to elliptical, increasing in size from base to apex of pinna, up to 8(–11.5) cm × 4(–6) cm, obtuse to acute at apex, glabrous. Inflorescence an axillary head on 2.5–4 cm long peduncle. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, reddish white, sessile, subtended by up to 3 mm long bracteoles; calyx 2–4 mm long, with long tube toothed at apex, pubescent outside; corolla 6–9(–10.5) mm long, with c. 5 mm long tube, pubescent outside; stamens numerous, 2–3 cm long, united into a reddish tube for most of their length; ovary superior, c. 1.5 mm long, gradually tapering into an up to 2 cm long style. Fruit an oblong, flat pod 10–20 cm × 2–4 cm, with stipe up to 1.5 cm long, glabrous, transversely veined, glossy brown when ripe, opening with 2 papery valves, 9–12-seeded. Seeds flattened globose to ellipsoid, 7.5–12.5 mm × 6.5–9 mm.

Purgative, stomachic, antidote, vermifuge and aphrodisiac (bark decoction); expectorant (ground roots)

PROTAbase: Albizia zygia

The bark sap is instilled in the eyes to treat ophthalmia. A bark decoction is administered to treat bronchial diseases, fever (including malaria) and female sterility. Pounded or rasped bark is applied externally to treat yaws, sores, wounds and toothache. Ground roots are added to food to treat cough. Leaf decoctions are used to treat fever and diarrhoea.