Plants winter annual, glaucous to nearly green, from somewhat succulent roots. Stems 1-several, erect to prostrate-ascending, (1.5-)2-4(-6) dm. Leaves crowded, compound; blade with 2 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate lobes ovate, oblong-elliptic, or obovate, margins incised, apex subapiculate. Inflorescences racemose, (6-)10-16(-20)-flowered, primary racemes slightly to conspicuously exceeding leaves, secondary racemes fewer flowered, exceeded by leaves, cleistogamous-flowered racemes frequently present, 1-5-flowered, inconspicuous; bracts elliptic to attenuate-ovate, 5-8 × 2-4 mm, margins denticulate, distal bracts usually much reduced, those of cleistogamous racemes minute. Flowers erect or spreading; pedicel 2-6 mm; sepals ovate, to 1.5 mm, margins often sinuate or dentate; petals pale to medium yellow; spurred petal slightly to strongly curved, (11-)12-14(-15) mm, spur straight, 4-7 mm, apex obtuse or ± globose, crest low, wrinkled, rarely obsolescent, marginal wing well developed, sometimes revolute, unspurred outer petal slightly bent, 9-11 mm, crest low; inner petals oblanceolate, 7-10 mm, blade apex 2 times or more wider than base, basal lobes obscure, claw 3-4 mm; nectariferous spur straight or curved, sometimes clavate, ca. 3/5 length of petal spur; style ca. 4 mm; stigma rectangular, 2-lobed, 1/2 as long as wide, with 8 papillae. Capsules erect, linear, slender, straight to slightly incurved, 10-35 mm, essentially glabrous, usually shorter in cleistogamous-flowered racemes. Seeds ca. 1.5 mm diam., concentrically and minutely decorated, marginal ring absent.
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Erect or ascending annual, 1–3 dm, glaucous or nearly green; racemes usually well surpassing the lvs; bracts narrowly lanceolate; cor pale yellow, 11–15 mm, incl. the 4–6 mm spur; crest of the upper pet low, entire; frs ± erect, 1–1.5(–2) cm; often some or all fls cleistogamous, these 1–5 in a raceme, inconspicuous, often with smaller fr; seeds ca 1.5 mm wide, without a ring-margin; 2n=16. Moist, especially sandy soil; Ill. to s. Minn. and S.D., s. to the Gulf, and n. along the Atlantic coast to N.C. Our plants are var. micrantha. Vars. australis and texensis are more southern.
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