Pterolobium hexapetalum

Pterolobium hexapetalum is a deciduous climber growing up to 10 m long. 
This straggler is profusely and strongly armed with recurved prickles, and has long arching branches. 

The stems of Pterolobium hexapetalum are strongly and profusely armed. 
The thorns are about 2 mm long and recurved. 
They are growing a protuberance at their base which can be up to 5 cm long in old specimen.
The thorns are red in colour when young and become dark grey with age.
The mature stems are grey in colour. 
The branchlets are puberulus, stellate-tomentose and light green in colour. 

The leaves of Pterolobium hexapetalum are double-compound, growing in an alternate arrangement. 
The leaves are 15 cm long and 7 cm wide. 
They have 4 to 7 pairs of pinnae. Each pinnae is about 5 cm long. 
The pinnae have 6 to 10 pairs of leaflets that are oblong-oblanceolate in shape. 
The leaflet apex is rounded, the base is oblique and pubescent and the margin is entire. 
The pinnae rachis ends in a bristle. The petiole can be up to 3 cm long. 
The leaves are chartaceous, caducous and glabrous. 

The flowers of Pterolobium hexapetalum are yellow-white in colour and 1.5 cm across. 
They grow in axillary or terminal racemes which are 15 cm long and 5 cm wide. 
The calyx tube is short, 4 mm long and persistent. 
The flower is comprised of 5 unequal lobes.
The lower lobe is the longest, the others lobes are obovate-oblancelate and hooded. 
There are 5 to 6 petals which are sub-equal, spreading and sub-erect
The petals are pubescent and clawed with a callose base. 

The fruits of Pterolobium hexapetalum are flat oblong samara. 
The samara are indehiscent, apically winged, about 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. 
The enclosed single seed is green in colour but the terminal wing is prominent red. 

The seeds of Pterolobium hexapetalum are solitary, enclosed at the base of the pod. 
They are 1 cm long by 0.5 cm wide.