[1] The leaves are faintly striate (marked by ridges or grooves) and a glandular punctate, meaning the glands of the leaf are sunken in, noticeable when held against the light.

[6] C. kerstingii thrives in open savannah conditions, lateritic hills, and can survive at altitudes of 50–500 metres (160–1,640 ft).

[1] Several studies have shown that it is common on hilltops or hillsides, among grasses, large granite boulders, and occasionally shrubby trees.

[5] The species was first formally described by German botanist Hermann August Theodore Harms, in 1915 from a specimen collected by Otto Kersting in Togo in 1902.

The main constraint to the close relative Cajanus cajan is its vulnerability to a wide variety of pests and diseases.