Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, ascending, or rarely sprawling; usually several, occasionally bushy-branched, glabrous to finely-hairy or bristly-hairy with yellowish bristles.
- Leaves
- Alternate, short-stalked, pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets elliptic, oblanceolate or rarely egg-shaped, .6 to 1.6 inch long, glabrous on both surfaces, prominently veined below, entire, upper margins often with spiny teeth, tips pointed or blunt.
- Inflorescence
- Solitary flowers in axils of remote leaves.
- Flower
- Calyces bell-shaped, 5-lobed, upper lobe of 2 united teeth; corolla papilionaceous; petals orange-yellow to whitish, often fading pinkish; banner circular, 1/5 to 2/5 inch long; keel curved upward; stamens 10, filaments united in 1 group.
- Fruit
- Pods, 2-segmented; lowest segment generally sterile, resembling stipe; fertile segment egg-shaped, less than 1/5 inch long, 1-seeded, net-veined, somewhat hairy to nearly glabrous, beak curved; seeds 1/10 inch long, ridged, yellowish to brown.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Rocky or sandy open woodlands and sand prairies; acidic soils.
- Distribution
- Principally southeast 1/4 of Kansas.
Practical Information
- Uses
- The Cherokee steeped the root and used the beverage to treat female complaints.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Fabaceae - Bean Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 4-24 inches
- Last Updated
- 2007-11-13
Color Groups
Yellow Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July, August, September