Up to 0.5 m. tall, covered throughout, except for the upper surface of the leaflets and the corolla with appressed biramous hairs.. Leaves 3–7-foliolate; stipules green, persistent, linear, up to 6 mm. long; rhachis, including the petiole of about half its length, up to 7 cm. long; leaflets broadly linear or oblong, usually rather wider below the middle, the terminal one longer than the lateral, up to 5 cm. long and 9 mm. wide, truncate-rounded or emarginate at the tip, narrowed and ± rounded at the base.. Racemes 5–25-flowered, up to 12 cm. long, including a peduncle of up to 2 cm.; bracts narrowly lanceolate, rather persistent, up to 2 mm. long; pedicels ± 1 mm. long.. Calyx appressed strigulose; tube 1 mm. long; teeth triangular, the 2 upper 0.5 mm., the 3 lower 1 mm. long.. Corolla caducous, pale mauve, strongly-veined, the keel greenish, glabrous except for minute hairs on the upper margins of the keel; standard elliptic, apiculate, without appendages, 6–7 mm. long including a claw of 0.6 mm., 4 mm. wide; wings oblong-elliptic, 7.5 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, bluntly and shortly auriculate, with a claw of 0.5 mm.; keel-petals free from wings, oblanceolate, shallowly pouched, 7 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, tapering gradually to the base.. Filaments all strongly united, the tube 6 mm., the free parts 0.5–1 mm. long; anthers 1 mm. long, including a filiform apical process of 0.2 mm.. Ovary 5.5 mm. long, densely appressed strigulose, 7–9-ovulate; style glabrous, 1.5 mm. long; stigma depressed-capitate, ± 0.5 mm. across.. Pod erect, curved slightly away from the rhachis near the base, narrowly oblong, 4–6 cm. long including a beak of 5–6 mm., 5 mm. wide, 1 mm. thick, the valves twisted after dehiscence, marked with 3 longitudinal ridges and numerous transverse corrugations, 7–9-seeded.. Seeds grey, square, elliptic in cross-section, minutely tuberculate, ± 3.5 × 3.5 × 1 mm., each face marked with 3 longitudinal ridges and several transverse corrugations.. Fig. 48, p. 329.
More
A bean family herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It is hairy. The leaves have 3-7 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and usually wider below the middle. They are 5 cm long and 9 mm wide. The flowers are in groups of 5-25. The flowering groups are 12 cm long. The fruit is an erect pod 4-6 cm long. The valves twist as the pod opens. There are 7-9 seeds. The seeds are grey and square. They are 3.5 mm long and flattened.
Erect herb about 1 ft. high, woody at the base
Home
