Flora of North America species comparison

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

1.5–9 cm;

stipules glabrous or strigose abaxially, margins ± ciliate, apex often bristly;

leaflets 9–19, scattered or opposite, blades 1–11 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.

usually 2–9-flowered, subcapitate or somewhat elongate.

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

bract 1;

bracteoles usually absent, rarely 2.

3–12(–14) cm, axis 1–4.5 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.

whitish or yellowish, sometimes polychrome, 10–14(–15) mm.

tube (3.7–)4–5.5 mm, lobes 1–1.5 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.

9–12 × 3.5–5 mm.

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

= 8.

= 32.