Flora of North America species comparison

erect, usually pubescent, rarely glabrate or glabrous, glandular nearly throughout, gland-dotted when young.

at intervals from creeping rootstocks, 1–3.5 dm, gland-dotted when young, ± pilose to appressed-pubescent and nearly sericeous.

diffuse;

sterile shoots sharp-tipped.

alternate, odd-pinnate or unifoliolate;

stipules present, caducous, usually triangular to subulate or linear, rarely obovate;

petiolate;

leaflets 1–17(or 19), stipels absent, blade margins entire or gland-crenulate, surfaces usually glandular-punctate abaxially, pubescent.

pinnate, 1–4.5 cm;

leaflets 3–9, blades ovate to oblong-elliptic, (3–)5–12(–15) mm, terminal leaflet slightly longer than or ± equal to laterals, surfaces irregularly gland-dotted abaxially, densely hairy, especially adaxially, to glabrate.

loose;

rachis with thornlike tip in anthesis, 1–4 cm;

bracts subulate, 1.5–2.5 mm;

bracteoles present.

1–20+-flowered, terminal and axillary (sometimes leaf-opposed), usually racemes, rarely spikes;

bracts present, caducous;

bracteoles 0 or 2, at apex of pedicel or base of calyx.

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate, lobes 5, unequal;

ribs 10, not anastomosing into closed arches distally;

corolla usually blue, blue-purple, pink-purple, magenta-purple, violet-purple, violet, or bicolored, sometimes with yellow eye, rarely white;

banner blade differentiated from claw, reflexed less than 90°, claw shorter;

wings not adnate to keel, blades oblique basally, claws shorter, linear;

keel not strongly twisted, blades narrowly overlapping and adherent, oblique basally, blunt-tipped, claws linear;

stamens 10, monadelphous, equal or alternately short and long;

anthers dorsifixed;

style glabrous or pilosulous.

calyx 7–8.2 mm, thinly strigulose, tube 3.8–4.2 mm, ribs not prominent, intervals each with 2–7 glands, lobes ovate to lanceolate, abaxial lobe shorter;

corolla blue;

banner obovate, 7–9.2 mm, claw cuneate;

wings oblong, 5–6.6 × 3.2–3.9 mm;

keel broadly obovate, 5.2–6.5 × 3.4–4 mm;

stamens 8–9.5 mm;

filaments distinct to 3.3–4.4 mm;

anthers 0.8–1.5 mm, connective not gland-tipped.

legumes, sessile, mostly tan, plump to compressed, obovoid, ovoid-ellipsoid, obovoid-ellipsoid, or obliquely obovoid or ellipsoid, indehiscent, often membranous proximally, thickened distally, gland-dotted, glabrous or pubescent.

obliquely obovoid, (3.5–)4–5.5 mm, gland-dotted distally, pubescent.

usually 1, rarely 2, chestnut to brownish or greenish, sometimes with brown or purple spots, somewhat compressed, oblong.

1 or 2, 3.1–2.8 mm.

= 10.

= 20.