Slender bush clover

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Slender bush clover leaf

Slender bush clover

Slender bush clover

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, 1-several, simple or branched above, pubescent, usually densely leafy.

Leaves

Alternate, numerous, crowded, often ascending, pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets narrowly oblong or linear, .25 to 1.6 inch long, 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide; surfaces short-hairy or rarely glabrous above; tip rounded to bristle-tipped; base rounded or pointed; stipules threadlike, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, persistent.

Inflorescence

Racemes, short-stalked, dense, 4-14-flowered, borne in upper leaf axils.

Flower

Flowers of 2 forms: those open at pollination with bell-shaped calyx; lobes nearly equal, tapering to points; corolla papilionaceous, around 1/4 inch long, pink or purplish; banner darker near base; keel usually slightly longer than banner and wings; stamens 10, 9 united, 1 free; or small, closed, self-pollinating flowers in small clusters along mid-stem.

Fruit

Pod, 1/6 to 1/5 inch long, flattened, 1-seeded, pubescent; seed ellipsoid, 1/10 to 1/8 inch long, smooth, shiny, green to brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry open woods, prairies, thickets, roadsides, gravelly margins of steams; often on rocky or sandy soils.

Distribution

East 2/5 of Kansas

Practical Information

Forage Value

White-tailed deer and rabbits browse the plant. The seeds are eaten by bobwhite quail, turkeys, and ruffed grouse.

Additional Notes