Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–6 cm, rachis about equaling longest leaflet;

leaflets 7 or 9(–13), congested on rachis, blade surfaces shaggy-pilose.

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.

5–9-flowered.

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

bract 1;

bracteoles usually absent, rarely 2.

villous hairs spreading, horizontal, fine.

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.

15–19 mm.

somewhat accrescent and inflated, ruptured in fruit or not, entirely or partially enclosing pod.

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.

usually not disarticulated from calyx, ovoid-oblong, 8–13 × 5 mm.

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

= 8.