Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Fabaceae
Legume Family

• Stem: perennial; 3’ to 4’ tall; unbranched; hairy.
• Leaves: alternate; divided into three leaflets, oval, with rounded bases and pointed tips, the center one 2 1/2” by 7/8”; 1/2” leaf stalks; basal bracts (stipules) narrow, sharply pointed, 3/8” long; hairy above and below.
• Inflorescence: branching flower stalks from the stem tip and upper leaf axils; entire inflorescence 8” to 12” long.
• Flowers: corolla pink, 1/2” long; calyx 1/8” long; flowering from mid-July to mid-August.
• Fruits: pods, about 1” long, flat, divided into about five rounded segments, one side more deeply indented than the other; surface of the pod covered with tiny hooked hairs by which the pod temporarily becomes attached to passing animals and thus is disseminated; fruiting begins in late July.
• Habitat: frequent on dry to moist prairies, in open woods and ridge-top openings, on roadsides, and in other open places; often takes advantage of disturbed sites.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa