Scrambling herb; stems elongated, sometimes stoloniferous, twining, hirsute to glabrous. Leaves dimorphic, adult weakly pinnately trifoliolate, first-formed leaves usually palmately trifoliolate, petiole 0.7–5 cm long; leaflets of upper leaves narrow-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1.5–5 cm long, 1–6 mm wide, apices mostly acute; leaflets of lower leaves obovate to elliptic, 0.5–5 cm long, 2–9 mm wide, apices acute or obtuse; upper surface sparsely strigose to glabrous; lower surface more densely strigose; stipules lanceolate to ovate; at least the central leaflet subtended by a pair of minute stipels (but these deciduous), central petiolule usually conspicuously less hairy below than above stipels; leaflet reticulation obvious with secondary and tertiary veins usually apparent (moreso on the undersurface) - the finer tertiary veins forming a distinct network within the areoles formed by the secondary veins. Racemes 5–13-flowered; peduncles mostly 2–4 cm long. Flowers on pedicels 1–2.3 mm long, more crowded towards apex of rachis; bract linear, 1–2 mm long; calyx 3–5.3 mm long, sparsely hairy to glabrous, lower 3 teeth shorter than the tube; petals white, pink or purplish; standard 5–7 mm long; keel shorter than wings. Pod more or less linear, 1.5–3 cm long, 2.5–4 mm wide, compressed, sparsely strigose; seeds 3–7, ovoid to suborbicular, 1.5–2.2 mm long, smooth and shining or minutely muricate, black, brown or grey. Flowers mostly Oct.–Apr.
GleP, VVP, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, GGr, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, OtR, HFE, VAlp. Also SA, Qld, NSW, Tas., Norfolk Is. Scattered across cooler parts of southern Victoria where it grows in moist grassy areas in scrublands, open-forests and woodlands.
This species is poorly known and has been confused with Glycine clandestina: it can be distinguished by its often stoloniferous stems, fine, reticulate veining on the leaflets, longer, stipellate central petiolule and shorter pods. The calyx is generally distinctly less hairy than that of G. clandestina.
