Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Fabaceae
Legume Family

• Stem: perennial; 3’ to 4’ tall; somewhat branched; finely hairy on the stem ridges.
• Leaves: alternate; twice pinnately compound; 4” by 3”; nearly sessile; leaflets oval-elongate, 1/8” by 1/32”; stiff hairs on the margins.
• Inflorescence: round heads on short flower stalks at the tips of the branches; up to twenty heads per plant; heads 3/8” in diameter.
• Flowers: corolla white or greenish, inconspicuous, 3/16” long with protruding stamens; calyx 1/8” long; flowering from mid-July to early August.
• Fruits: flat curved pods, 1/2” by 1/4”, finely hairy, dark brown; clustered in heads 1” in diameter; fruiting begins in late July.
• Habitat: common on Loess Hills prairies and sandy soils in western Iowa, very uncommon on sandy or rocky prairies and waste places in the rest of its range in the state.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa