Japan Flora: Perennial coarse herbs with woody base; stems much elongate, twining or prostrate, whitish puberulent, with coarse spreading or reflexed brown hispid-hairs; stipules lanceolate, subacute, medifixed3 15-20 mm. long, green; leaf­lets green, loosely appressed-hirsute on upper side, densely whitish pubescent beneath, the terminal lobe rhombic-orbicu­lar, 10-15 cm. long and as wide, abruptly acuminate, some­times 3-lobed, the lateral lobes often bifid; racemes densely many-flowered, nearly sessile or short-peduncled, 10-20 cm. long; flowers redcHsh purple, rarely almost white, 18-20 mm. long, the bracts linear, 8-10 mm. long, 0.2-0.3 mm. wide, long-pilose, caducous, the bracteoles caducous, narrowly ovate or broadly lanceolate, acute; lowest calyx-lobe 1.5-2 times as long as the tube; legumes flat, densely dark brown spreading- hispid, linear, 6-8 cm. long, 8-10 mm. wide. July-Sept. Thickets and thin woods.

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyu­shu; very common. Korea and China.