It is native to parts of Africa and Asia, and it has been introduced to other continents, such as Australia and the Americas.

[1] It is cultivated as a fodder for livestock, for erosion control,[2] and as a green manure.

Racemes of up to 12 flowers occur at the stem tips and grow from the leaf axils.

The flower corolla is half a centimeter long and can be shades of red, purple, blue, or yellow.

The fruit is a lightly hairy, cylindrical but compressed legume pod up to 2.5 centimeters long.

It can be grown with other legumes, such as Spanish clover (Desmodium heterophyllum) and showy pigeon pea (Cajanus scarabaeoides).

Prevention measures include growing the plant on heavier soils, which reduce the severity of infestation, and to use certain cultivars that may be more resistant to nematodes.