Flora of North America species comparison

erect or spreading, green, smooth or lightly striate, sometimes distinctly ribbed apically, branched, basally often with thin, tan to brown cataphylls, glandular, glabrate, or sericeous to densely pubescent throughout or basally, sometimes glabrate.

alternate, usually palmately compound, rarely pseudopalmate, often deciduous by anthesis except basally;

stipules present, caducous or tardily deciduous, usually adnate to petiole, rarely connate behind petiole, often modified to form cataphylls at base of stem, linear-lanceolate;

petiolate, petiole not jointed to stem;

leaflets (1 or)3 or 5, persistent or caducous, sometimes absent at maturity, blade margins entire, surfaces strigose, glabrate, or sparsely pubescent.

1–3(or 4)-flowered per node, indeterminate pseudoracemes, with 3–22 nodes;

bracts caducous, lanceolate to rhombic.

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate, lobes 5, lobes pallid green or green throughout, triangular, usually less than 1/2 length of calyx tube, mostly equal in length, abaxial lobe sometimes slightly longer, flaring back and tearing along a lateral sinus in fruit, glandular, pubescent or glabrate to sericeous;

corolla violet to blue, purple, white, or bicolored;

stamens 10, diadelphous, distinct portion of filaments filiform;

anthers basifixed.

legumes, deciduous above receptacle, sessile, subglobose, indehiscent, pilose, strigose, or glabrate.

1, brown, somewhat compressed, round to elliptic, smooth.

= 11.