Flora of North America species comparison

erect, ascending, procumbent, or trailing, often woody near base in herbs, usually branched, pubescent or glabrescent.

erect or ascending, clustered, young branches terete, 70–200 cm, branched distally, densely appressed- or patent-pubescent.

alternate, trifoliolate, often larger on medial stems than those subtending inflorescences;

stipules present, usually persistent (caducous in L. texana), ciliate, striate-veined, apex acuminate;

petiolate proximally, sessile or subsessile distally;

stipels absent;

leaflets 3, blade margins entire, ciliate, main lateral veins anastomosing before reaching margin, surfaces glabrous or pubescent;

lateral leaflets pulvinate, sessile or subsessile, blade often ± oblique;

terminal leaflet usually petiolulate (sometimes sessile in L. repens), usually larger than laterals.

usually 2 sizes, axillary ones subtending racemes much smaller;

stipules subulate, 2–4 mm;

petiole 30–40 mm, longer than rachis;

leaflet blades usually elliptic to broadly elliptic or obovate, sometimes suborbiculate, apex retuse to obtuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent abaxially, glabrous or sparsely puberulent along midrib adaxially;

terminal blade 20–50 × 10–30 mm, length 1–2 times width.

5–15-flowered, flowers chasmogamous only.

(1 or)2–40-flowered, axillary or appearing terminal due to reduction of subtending leaves, pseudoracemes, consisting of clusters of 2–4 flowers, rarely capitate, sometimes appearing paniclelike when subtending leaves reduced, cleistogamous flowers often in proximal fascicles, bracteolate;

bracts present, 1, subtending each flower cluster;

bracteoles 2, subtending each flower.

usually shorter than subtending leaves.

0.8–3 mm;

bracteoles shorter than calyx tube.

papilionaceous, chasmogamous or cleistogamous, chasmogamous pedicellate or subsessile, cleistogamous enclosed in calyx with reduced corolla;

calyx campanulate, lobes 4 or 5, often longer than tube, adaxial 2 distinct or proximally ± connate (and thus calyx 4-lobed), apex 2-toothed;

corolla pink to purple, lavender, magenta, reddish purple, or white to pale yellow;

banner broadly obovate to orbiculate, proximally clawed or cuneate, with inflexed auricles, darker purple marks (nectar guides) at throat of adaxial surface of lamina;

wings and keel long-clawed, lamina elliptic-oblong, proximally rounded;

stamens 10, diadelphous;

anthers dorsifixed (uniform);

disc present around base of ovary;

ovary minutely stipitate;

style adaxially incurved, slightly exserted from stamens;

stigma minute, terminal.

10–15 mm;

calyx 4.5–6 mm, tube 2.5 mm;

lobes 4, subequal or abaxial slightly longer, lateral narrowly triangular-ovate, 2.3–3.5 mm, adaxial connate proximally, apices long-acuminate and spine-tipped;

corolla reddish purple;

wings 8–10.5 mm;

keel 7.5–9.5 mm.

loments, usually subsessile, sometimes stipitate (sessile in L. procumbens), unilocular, strongly compressed laterally, indehiscent, papery, usually appressed-pubescent, sericeous, or villous;

loments from chasmogamous flowers usually subsessile, sometimes stipitate, usually elliptic-ovate or suborbicular to rounded, style straight;

loments from cleistogamous flowers sessile, usually crowded at base of peduncle, obovate to suborbicular, slightly smaller than chasmogamous, style curved and relatively short.

1, asymmetrical, ellipsoid or oblong, rim-arillate, chasmogamous seeds slightly longer or similar to cleistogamous.

body exserted from calyx, broadly elliptic to suborbicular, 6–7 × 3.5–4.5 mm, densely white-appressed-pilose, sometimes glabrescent;

stipe subsessile.

= 9, 10, 11.

= 22.