Flora of North America species comparison

erect or distally lax and twining or trailing [scandent], uncinate-pubescent.

1–4 from crown, trailing, to 150 cm, or erect to lax, apex sometimes twining, to 60 cm;

internodes ± straight to weakly flexuous;

branches few, primarily basal.

alternate, odd-pinnate;

stipules present, persistent, striate;

petiolate;

leaflets 3–7, stipels striate, blade margins entire, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

stipules lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 4–8 × 2–5 mm, apex acute;

petiole subterete, often weakly to strongly canaliculate adaxially, 2–10 cm;

stipels linear to subulate, 3–8 mm;

petiolules 2–4 mm;

rachis 1–2(–2.5) cm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, oblong-ovate, elliptic-oblong, lanceolate, lanceolate-ovate, oblong, or elliptic, 20–90(–115) × 10–40(–65) mm, thick membranous to thick papery, base broadly cuneate to subcordate, primary lateral veins 7–12 pairs, apex usually acute to obtuse, rarely short-acuminate or mucronate, surfaces glaucescent, glabrate or sparsely pubescent abaxially on major veins or moderately to densely piloso-sericeous, glabrate or uncinate-pubescent adaxially.

1 or 2(–4)-flowered, axillary, pseudoracemes, erect to lax, flowers chasmogamous, sometimes also cleistogamous;

bracts present, persistent;

bracteoles persistent or tardily deciduous, appressed to calyx, rarely enlarged and obscuring calyx.

2(–4)-flowered, 1–5 cm, flowers cleistogamous and/or chasmogamous;

bracts lanceolate, 3–4 × 1 mm.

1–4.5 cm (chasmogamous flowers) or 0.5–3 cm (cleistogamous flowers).

paired, borne laterally at apex, spirally twisted to invert flowers.

3–7 mm;

bracteoles of chasmogamous flowers lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 4–9 × 2–3 mm, cleistogamous flowers 3–5 mm, apex acute, uncinate-pubescent.

usually papilionaceous, actinomorphic in C. ternatea var. pleniflora; chasmogamous flowers resupinate, rarely all petals subequal, bannerlike, 35–60 mm; cleistogamous flowers apetalous, banner rarely hidden within calyx, reduced, inconspicuous except in fruit;

calyx persistent, funnelform, lobes 5, adaxial 2 subconnate, 4 wider, often shorter than abaxial lobe, shorter than tube;

corolla lilac, blue, purplish, or blue-violaceous, sometimes with white to yellow medial strip [white with purplish venation on banner];

banner conduplicate, short-clawed, spurless, obovate-orbiculate, 40–60 mm, much larger than other petals, arising from lower side of resupinate flower, emarginate;

wings slightly adherent to keel, long-clawed, falcate-oblong or spatulate, shorter than banner and extending beyond keel, base without auricles;

keel incurved, long-clawed;

stamens 10, diadelphous, usually distinct apically, rarely ± distinct and some in bundles;

anthers dorsifixed;

ovary stipitate;

style elongated, flattened, base persistent as beak in fruit, apex dilated and geniculate distally, bearded lengthwise.

legumes, stipitate to subsessile, straight to subfalcate, convex and depressed between seeds or flat, linear, 6–11 mm wide, dehiscent by valves breaking from replum, spirally twisting to expel seeds, leathery, margins thickened, apex beaked, uncinate-pubescent.

brown, convex, 25–55(–70) × 6–9 mm;

stipe 12–17 mm (5–10 mm in cleistogamous).

1–10[–12], cuboidal, globose, or subreniform [reniform].

1–10, black, cuboidal to globular, 3–5 × 4–6 mm, viscid.

proximal portion horizontal, cylindric, 4–15 × 3–12 cm;

distal portion 1+ m × 1.5–6 mm.

flowers: calyx tube greenish, 10–14 × 3–5 mm at base becoming 5–8 mm wide;

lobes ovate, 5–9 × 2.5–3.5 mm (at base, abaxial lobe 7–9 mm), apex short-acuminate;

corolla blue to pale purplish;

banner 40–60 mm, claw 5–8 mm;

wing blades 21–24 × 5–10 mm, claw 7–12 mm;

keel 8–13 × 3–5 mm, claw 14–21 mm;

staminal tube 21–30 mm;

filaments distinct, 2–4 mm;

anthers lanceolate, 1–2 mm;

ovary 7–9 mm, densely uncinate-pubescent;

style 16–20 mm.

flowers: calyx tube 4–5 × 1–2 mm becoming 2 mm wide;

lobes 2–3 mm;

staminal tube 0.1 mm;

ovary 5–6 mm;

style 4–6 mm, bent backwards and in contact with anthers.

= 8, (12).