Flora of North America species comparison

spreading to ascending, usually pubescent, rarely glabrescent or glabrous.

strongly dimorphic, 5–21 cm;

stipules usually concealed by vesture;

leaflets 19–25, scattered or subopposite, blades primary ones crowded, ovate, shorter, distally linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 4–20 mm.

basally clustered or cauline, alternate, mostly odd-pinnate;

stipules present, sometimes persistent, adnate to petiole, often connate-sheathing;

petiolate, petiole sometimes persistent as marcescent thatch on caudex, rarely as pungent spines;

leaflets 1–45(–70), usually opposite, subopposite, scattered (irregularly spaced), or fasciculate, rarely alternate or verticillate, usually jointed to rachis, blade margins entire, surfaces usually pubescent, sometimes glabrous.

8–15-flowered, ± open to elongate.

1–50-flowered, axillary, racemes (sometimes subcapitate);

bract 1;

bracteoles usually absent, rarely 2.

7–19(–26) cm, axis 3–8(–11) cm in fruit.

papilionaceous;

calyx usually campanulate or cylindric, rarely inflated-urceolate, lobes 5, sometimes inflated and enclosing legumes, usually ruptured by legume;

corolla pink to blue-purple or white to yellowish, 5–25 mm, keel petals shorter than wing petals, tip elongated into porrect beak;

stamens 10, diadelphous;

anthers dorsifixed;

ovary enclosed in staminal sheath;

style glabrous.

purple, blue, pink, white, yellowish, or polychrome (in populations), 17–19(–21) mm.

tube 6–6.5 mm, lobes 2–2.7 mm.

legumes, sessile or stipitate, sometimes tumid or bladdery-inflated, straight, oblong to ellipsoid, ovoid, ovoid-ellipsoid, ovoid-oblong, lanceoloid-ovoid, cylindric, or subcylindric, abaxial suture usually rounded, adaxial suture often sulcate, dehiscent apically or throughout, unilocular or bilocular, or partially bilocular by intrusion of adaxial suture, usually pubescent, rarely glabrous.

13–18 × 3.5–5 mm.

3–25, light to dark brown or black, somewhat reniform.

= 8.

= 32.