Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs or subshrubs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (odd-pinnate, rarely palmately compound or unifoliolate). Leaves odd-pinnately compound, rarely palmately compound or unifoliolate. Lateral veins 4–31 pairs, parallel, forming a sharp angle with the midrib, extending to the margin and then often forming a well–developed marginal nerve. Petiolate. Stipules present.

Flowers: Flowers in clusters of (1)2–30 on a short, thick axis, the clusters arranged in terminal, axillary, or leaf–opposed pseudoracemes, bracts present. Flowers papilionaceous; bracteoles absent. Calyx 5-lobed, the lobes subequal or unequal, upper 2 lobes often somewhat connate. Corolla usually yellow to purple, standard suborbicular, without basal auricles; intrastaminal disk usually present. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct at base, weakly connate above middle or occasionally distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube. Ovary superior, sessile; ovules (1–) numerous; style sharply or gradually upcurved, linear or tapering, glabrous or pubescent; stigma often penicillate.

Fruit: Pods linear or oblong; usually pilose; beaked; dehiscent; the valves becoming spirally twisted. Seeds longitudinally to transversely arranged.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: