Flora of North America species comparison

usually prostrate to climbing, rarely erect, striate, often lignescent, pubescent, covered with oblique to appressed, retrorse hairs, interspersed with finely uncinate, minutely hooked hairs.

climbing or trailing, to 150 cm.

alternate, odd-pinnate;

stipules and stipels present (terminal ones ascending, those of lateral leaflets spreading), at times covered with glandular hairs, these nectariferous;

petiole present, petiole and rachis canaliculate;

leaflets 3, blade margins entire, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

stipules spreading to reflexed, ovate to triangular, often faintly lobed basally, 2.5–4 × 1–2 mm;

petiole 2–5 cm;

rachis 0.8–1.7 cm;

stipels narrowly triangular to lanceolate, 1–2.5 mm;

leaflet blades linear, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, or narrowly trullate, often lobed basally, 2.5–6 × 0.2–3 cm, thin to subcoriaceous, base truncate to broadly cuneate, apex usually obtuse or long-attenuate, surfaces covered with minute, uncinate hairs, also with incumbent hairs along veins abaxially and marginally.

(1–)3–60+-flowered, terminal or axillary, usually pseudoracemes, rarely also with basal and lateral branches (compound racemes), (1 or)4–60 floral nodes, not swollen, often biflorous;

primary bracts present, usually persistent, secondary bracts at base of pedicels;

bracteoles minute or equal to calyx tube;

bracts and bracteoles often nectariferous as stipules.

to 20 cm, rarely with axillary flowers at base;

axis covered with uncinate hairs;

rachis 2–9 cm, with 2–6 biflorous nodes;

primary bracts ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.8 mm, 3–5-veined.

3–11 cm.

equal to or longer than calyx tube, arcuate or reflexed in fruit.

3–5(–7) mm, hairs uncinate;

bracteoles persistent, ovate to lanceolate or oblong, 1–1.5 mm, often densely covered with incumbent hairs, often at midpoint of pedicel.

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate or campanulate-tubular, lobes 5, usually shorter than tube, adaxial usually ± connate throughout;

corolla pink, purple, red, violet, or white;

banner glabrous abaxially, often hairy adaxially, slightly to strongly thickened at point of reflexion, often with two intramarginal thickenings;

wings longer than other petals;

keel beaked, apex 1.5–2 laterally and tightly coiled, coils 1.5–5.5 mm diam.;

stamens 10, diadelphous, vexillary stamen dilated or with globose to bladelike appendage basally;

anthers dorsifixed alternating with basifixed;

pollen tricolporate to triporate, often with pseudocolpi;

ovary with nectary disc at base, linear;

stigma introrse, laterally or extrorsely placed because of stylar rotation, apical or extrorse.

calyx campanulate, 2.5–3.5 mm, sparsely to densely covered with uncinate hairs, veins prominent;

abaxial lobes triangular to narrowly so, apex acute, 1–1.5 mm;

lateral lobes triangular, apex acute, 1 × 1 mm;

adaxial lobes connate, apex emarginate or cleft;

corolla pink to light purple, 12 mm;

banner oblong to orbiculate, 1 mm, apex slightly emarginate;

wings obovate, 12 mm;

keel 5.5 mm;

ovary linear, 3.5 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs.

legumes, sessile or stipitate, usually falcate, sometimes straight, linear or oblong, short-beaked, usually elastically dehiscent, membranous, papery, or leathery, compressed or expanding over seeds, glabrous or pubescent.

pendent, compressed, linear-falcate, 23–30 × 4–8 mm, elastically dehiscent, valves thin, sparsely covered with minute, appressed hairs.

1–20, oblong, quadrate, suborbicular, or reniform;

epihilum white.

3 or 4, brown often mottled with black, oblong, 3.5–5 × 3–4 mm, rugose, reticulate-areolate patterns with rounded mounds;

hilum ovate, 0.5 mm.

, annual or perennial, unarmed;

roots tuberous or elongated (non-tuberous) taproots or fibrous.

perennial, often forming dense growth, with thick and elongate tuberous, woody taproots.

= 10, 11.

= 22.