Flora of North America species comparison

short and tufted or erect, branched from base or near middle.

erect or ascending, green or purplish, clustered, branched or unbranched.

cauline, often crowded near base;

stipules well developed;

petiole 1–9 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades 10–40 × 5–10 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

basal and/or cauline;

stipules 2–12 mm;

petiole 1–15 cm;

leaflets (5 or)6–10, blades 10–60 × 4–10 mm, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial surface glabrous or hairy (but not strigose).

8–12-flowered, 2–11 cm, shorter than or slightly exceeding foliage;

flowers spirally arranged.

loose, 5–16(–25) cm;

flowers whorled or not.

0–3.5 cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–5 mm.

(1–)4–25(–30) cm;

bracts usually deciduous, 3–4 mm.

1–3.5 mm.

(1–)2–5(–7) mm.

5–12 mm;

calyx abaxial lobe entire, 5–6 mm, adaxial lobe cleft, 2.5–4 mm;

corolla vivid blue, sometimes paler or white, sometimes bicolored, banner spot white or yellowish, keel glabrous.

5–15 mm;

calyx 4–8 mm, bulge or spur 0–3 mm (may be variable on plant), abaxial lobe entire or 3-toothed, adaxial lobe entire or 2-toothed;

corolla usually blue, sometimes purple, violet, pink, lilac, or white, banner patch yellowish to whitish, blue, brown, or absent, banner not much reflexed-recurved beyond midpoint, this less than 3 mm proximal to apex, banner glabrous or pubescent abaxially, wings glabrous, lower keel margins glabrous, upper margins ciliate.

1.5 cm, constricted between seeds, thinly pilose to coarsely hirsute.

(1–)2–3 cm, hairy or silky.

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

2, wrinkled or ridged.

(2 or)3–5(or 6), tan, brown, or red.