Shrubby perennial up to 1-4.5 m tall; branches variously velvety to spreading yellowish hairy. Leaves 3-5 foliate; leaflets more or less narrowly elliptic 4-12 cm long, discolorous dark green above, grayish and usuallyhairy beneath. Racemes mostly 10-30 cm long , many flowered on short peduncles. Pods with a short stipe  narrowly cylindric 3.5-6 cm long, sometimes shortly curved upwardsat the tip.

The plant is used in traditional medicine  to cure diseases related to stomach pain, fever, snake bites, jaundice, dysentery, skin  diseases, wounds, colds and cough, diabetes, cancer, astma and worms.  In the Eastern province, Crotalaria cleomifolia is used as antinflammatory by a TMP Ayiknkamiye Sarah who uses the plant to treat benign tumors such as “inzibyi”.