Flora of North America species comparison

erect.

2.5–11 cm;

petiole (2–)2.5–9 mm;

extrafloral nectary 1(–3), sessile or shortly stipitate;

leaflets (7 or)8–22(–26) pairs, blades linear-oblong, oblong, oblong-oblanceolate, or -elliptic, apex mucronulate to subacute, (5.5–)7–20(–23) × (1.3–)1.5–5(–6) mm.

1–4(or 6)-flowered, supra-axillary.

(6–)8–22(–26) mm;

bracteoles distal to mid pedicel.

calyx greenish, sepal venation reticulate;

corolla yellow, fading brown or orange, rarely whitish, 2–4 petals with reddish maculate at claw, to 10–23 mm;

stamens 10;

anthers all or some yellow, yellow and red-tipped, red, red-brown, or red-violet, to (5.5–)6–10.5 mm;

ovary often hairy, sometimes glabrous.

straight or curved, linear-oblong, (3–)3.5–6.5(–10) × (25–)30–75(–85) mm.

(2.8–)3.2–4.8(–6.3) mm.

chamaecristoides appears to be one of the first flowering plants to colonize coastal sand dunes (especially in the Gulf of Mexico), where it contributes to decreased sand movement, ultimately stabilizing the dunes (M.

.

and P.

-Casasola 1998).

varieties are recognized in C. chamaecristoides.

var. cruziana is an annual herb that sometimes survives the winter, the other two varieties, var. brandegeei (Britton & Rose) H.

.

& Barneby and var. chamaecristoides, are perennials that occur only in Mexico and differ from each other and var. cruziana in the width of their pods, 3–4 mm and 5–6 mm, respectively.

= 16.