Lessertia annularis pods

The leaves of Lessertia annularis are imparipinnate, a terminal leaflet present as well as five to eight pairs of small, round-tipped leaflets, elliptic and varying in width. The grey green to dull green leaflets are short-stalked and thinly hairy on their lower surfaces.

The plant, like several lessertias, is thought to be palatable and browsed by game and stock, but the Afrikaans common name of krimpsiektebos (shared with a few more than one plants), suggests toxicity.

The fruits are flat, papery and hairy pods, variably curving or coiled and compressed between the seeds. The seeds are sometimes eaten by people. They taste like peas (Louis Jordaan, personal communication; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; iNaturalist).