[1] It has a Paleotropical distribution,[2] occurring throughout tropical regions in Asia, Africa, Australia, and many Pacific Islands, and extending just into subtropical areas.

The pinnate leaves are each divided into three papery leaflets which are generally oval in shape with pointed or rounded tips.

[10] This legume has a rich microbial ecology, including its nodal rhizobia, its arbuscular mycorrhizae, and an assemblage of endophytic fungi.

[10][11] It is considered to be an underutilized wild plant with the potential to serve as a protein- and carbohydrate-rich food crop.

[11] It grows rapidly, tolerates challenging habitat types such as dry, sandy, saline soils, and appears to be fairly pest-resistant.

[12] In small-scale agriculture, farmers use this plant as green manure and mulch and host it in their fields for its nitrogen fixation.

[10][11] In numerous recent studies from India it is claimed that this species is the wild ancestor of Canavalia gladiata, referencing the 1974 third or paperback edition or the 1968 hardback edition of Tropical Crops: Dicotyledons by J. W. Purseglove,[10] where it mentions that C. virosa may be the ancestor of C. gladiata,[13] however this is likely in error, as with C. virosa in 1968 or 1974 one meant the modern C. africana using the then current taxonomy.

[14] The plant grows in Micronesia, where the island inhabitants use it as an herbal remedy for conditions such as cough.