Japan Flora: Small evergreen, erect or decumbent shrub 30-80 cm. high, nearly simple or sometimes sparsely branched, with thick branches, short-pilose; leaves petioled, the leaflets 3, elliptic or obovate, 5-8 cm. long, 3-5 cm. wide, obtuse, glabrous, deep green and lustrous above, grayish short-pilose beneath, the lateral nerves not prominent; racemes terminal, peduncled, rather many-flowered, short-pilose, the bracts minute; flowers 10-13 mm. long; calyx 2.5-3 mm. long, with undulate teeth; legumes ellipsoidal, 18—20 mm. long inclusive of the 2-3 mm. long stipe, about 10 mm. wide, dark bluish purple. July. Woods in mountains.

Honshu (Kanto Distr. and westw.), Shikoku, Kyushu; rare.