Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual herbs.

Stems: Stems spreading, ascending, or erect, up to 7.5 dm long, striate, appressed short–pubescent, taproot with slender branches, nodules often present.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (trifoliolate). Alternate. Leaflets oblanceolate to narrowly obovate. Leaflets 0.9–2.8 cm long, 0.3–0.8 cm wide. <u>Apex</u> rounded, usually retuse. Apex rounded, usually retuse. <u>Base</u> cuneate. Base cuneate. <u>Upper surfaces</u> glabrous or sparsely pubescent; <u>lower surfaces</u> appressed short–pubescent. Upper surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent; lower surfaces appressed short–pubescent. <u>Margins</u> entire. Margins entire. Veins 5–10 on each side of midvein. Petioles 4–18 mm long. <b>Stipules</b> linear–triangular, 1–4 mm long. Stipules linear–triangular, 1–4 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers in racemes, flowers 5.2–9.5 mm long, 6–21 in terminal or leaf–opposed, somewhat lax inflorescences, rachis 2–15 cm long (incl. peduncle), bracts linear–triangular, 1–2 mm long, ascending, usually persistent. Flowers papilionaceous; bracteoles absent or minute at base of calyx, linear–triangular. <b>Calyx</b> appressed short–pubescent, the tube 1.1–2.1 mm long, the lobes 3.3–3.8 mm long, lateral lobes distinct at apex. Calyx slightly bilabiate, the lobes shorter than to longer than the tube. <b>Petals</b> yellow with lines near base, standard 5–7 mm long, 7–8 mm wide, wings oblong, 5.5–6 mm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, keel petals with twisted beak prolonged, margins ciliate. <b>Stamens</b> 10, connate into a tube, the tube split at least at base on the upper side; <u>anthers</u> dimorphic, alternately long (and basifixed) and short (and versatile). Elongated anthers 1.1–1.7 mm long, short ones 0.2–0.3 mm long. <b>Ovary</b> superior.

Fruit: Pods pale brown at maturity; 0.6–2.5 cm long; nonstipitate; appressed short–pubescent or spreading pubescent. <b>Seeds</b> ca. 10 per pod; brown; 3.5–4 mm long; smooth.

Ploidy: 2n = 8; 16; 32

Habitat:

Elevation Range: