Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, 50–100(–150) cm, branched throughout or only distally, appressed- or ascending-pubescent or glabrescent.

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

stipules subulate, 2–4 mm;

petiole 1–3 mm, equaling or longer than rachis;

leaflet blades usually narrowly oblong, rarely elliptic-oblong, with swollen, whitish reticulate veins adaxially, apex apiculate, surfaces densely sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

laterals without oblique base;

terminal blade 20–45 × 2–7 mm, length 4–8 times width.

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.

10–20+-flowered, densely flowered, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous, racemes shorter than to 1–4 times length of subtending leaves.

(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.

longer (1–2 times) than subtending leaves.

1–2 mm;

bracteoles longer than calyx tube.

chasmogamous 5.5–7 mm;

calyx 5.5–7 mm, densely pubescent, tube 1.5–2 mm;

lobes 5, lateral narrowly deltate, 4–5 mm, apices spinelike;

corolla white to cream;

wings 5.5–6.5 mm;

keel 5–5.3 mm.

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.

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.

chasmogamous included in calyx, rounded, 4–5 mm, cleistogamous similar to chasmogamous, densely strigose;

stipe subsessile.

= 9, 10, 11.