Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect shrubs or small trees.

Stems: Stems 8–30 dm long, ridged, appressed short–pubescent, taproot with slender branches, nodules often present.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (trifoliate). Alternate. Leaflets elliptic, 1.3–5 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide. Apex rounded. Base cuneate or rounded. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces appressed short–pubescent. Margins entire. Veins 7–12 on each side of midvein. Petioles 10–30 mm long. Stipules linear–triangular, 2–2.5 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers in racemes, flowers 11–14 mm long, 7–35 in terminal, somewhat lax inflorescences, rachis 5–32 cm long (incl. peduncle), bracts linear–triangular, 1.5–3 mm long, pendent, usually persistent. Flowers papilionaceous; bracteoles at mid–pedicel, linear–triangular. Calyx appressed short–pubescent, the tube 5–7 mm long, the lobes 5–7 mm long, lateral lobes distinct at apex. Calyx slightly bilabiate, the lobes shorter than to longer than the tube. Petals greenish yellow with wine–colored lines near base, standard 10–15 mm long, 11–15.3 mm wide, wings oblong–elliptic, 9–11 mm long, 4.2–6.5 mm wide, keel petals with twisted beak prolonged, margins ciliate. Stamens 10, connate into a tube, the tube split at least at base on the upper side; anthers dimorphic, alternately long (and basifixed) and short (and versatile). Elongated anthers 2–2.8 mm long, short ones 0.5–0.7 mm long. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods brown at maturity; 1.7–2.4 cm long; stipitate; stipe up to 1.2 mm long; appressed short–pubescent. Seeds ca. 16 per pod; tan to brown; 2.5–3.2 mm long; smooth.

Ploidy: 2n = 32

Habitat: Along roadsides and in pastures.

Elevation Range: 400–610 m.