Herbs, 20-40 cm tall, acaulescent, from a branching caudex, clothed with marcescent leaf bases and stipules, with appressed white but fading yellow trichomes. Stipules broadly ovate, with dense white trichomes. Leaves 5-25 cm, 15-29-foliolate; leaflet blades oblong-lanceolate to rarely orbicular-ovate, 1-2.5 × 0.5-0.7 cm, both surfaces white sericeous, base rounded, apex acute. Racemes compact, many flowered; peduncle 10-30 cm, longer than leaves; bracts lanceolate to oblong-obovate, 0.7-1.3 cm, with appressed trichomes, apex acuminate. Calyx slightly purple, tubular, 1-1.4 cm; lobes triangular-lanceolate, 1-3 mm. Corolla purple to bluish purple; standard 2.3-3 cm, lamina broadly ovate, apex rounded; wings ca. 2 cm, lamina obliquely obtriangular, apex rounded or emarginate; keel ca. 1.7 cm, beak 2-3 mm. Legume sessile, cylindric to lanceolate-cylindric, 2-3 × 0.4-0.8 cm, leathery, 2-locular, with appressed white trichomes intermixed with black trichomes, septum wide, adaxial suture deeply grooved, beak long. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 32.
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