Flora of North America species comparison

spreading, climbing, twining, or erect, striate, glabrous or pubescent, hairs not uncinate.

trailing, climbing, or erect, sometimes hollow, nodes in trailing stems streaked red, glabrous.

alternate, odd-pinnate;

stipules present, persistent, slightly auriculate, distinctly peltate, or conspicuously retrorse;

petiolate;

leaflets 3, stipels present, blades 1.5–16 cm, membranous or firm, margins usually entire or shallowly deeply incised, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

stipules triangular-lanceolate, 15 mm, basal appendage short and narrow;

petiole 5–14 cm, striate, canaliculate;

rachis 2 cm;

stipels lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm;

leaflet blades ovate to lanceolate or rhombic-ovate, 4–15 × 3–8 cm, base often lobed.

2–30-flowered, axillary, pseudoracemes, with swollen floral nodes, glandular, 2 flowers per node, clustered distally;

bracts present, primary nodal bracts deciduous, entire;

bracteoles minute or deciduous, shorter or longer than calyx.

floral nodes 1–3, clustered distally;

bracts deciduous, lanceolate or ovate, 12–15 mm.

(8–)15–25 cm.

erect, arcuate to reflexed near pod.

straight, 0.2 cm;

bracteoles deciduous, lanceolate, 5 mm.

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate, 2–6 mm, lobes 4, shorter to longer than tube, adaxial lobes usually ± connate;

corolla greenish yellow to golden yellow, purple, or white, sometimes with reddish veins, 7–30 mm;

banner symmetric or asymmetric, glabrous, often with appendages on central, inner face, slightly to strongly thickened at point where reflexed, apex emarginate;

wings subequal to banner and keel;

keel apically expanded, sometimes appendaged;

stamens 10, diadelphous, vexillary filament thickened at base;

pollen triporate;

anthers dorsifixed;

ovary with nectary disc at base, linear;

style incurved, with distal brush, usually extended beyond stigma into conic or slender tip;

stigma lateral.

calyx tube striate, 5 mm, adaxial lobe shorter, 5 mm;

corolla usually white or purple, rarely yellowish, 25–30 mm;

banner broadly orbiculate-oblate, with 2 parallel appendages on inner face;

wings spatulate;

keel slightly twisted right, beak short, without lateral appendage;

style short-beaked, lobelike appendage at stigma short.

legumes, ascending, spreading, or pendulous, stipitate, usually linear to falcate, valves membranous or paper, dehiscent, resupinate by twisting of pedicel, glabrous.

spreading or pendulous, white to yellowish, sometimes streaked rose or dark purple, subterete, linear to slightly falcate, 10–30 × 1 cm, glabrous.

1–25, globular to oblong, cylindric, or reniform;

hilum concave or protruding; mostly with white rim aril;

seedlings hypogeal or epigeal.

(8–)18–25, light brown tinged with red or purple, with purple or pink eyes, creamy white with black eyes, or reddish black, reniform or subglobose, 4–12 × 0.3–0.6 mm;

hilum white, not raised.

, annual or perennial, herbaceous [woody], 1–3 m;

roots tuberous or fibrous.

annual.

= 10, 11.