Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Fabaceae
Legume Family

• Stem: perennial; 6” to 12” tall; branched from the base; densely long-hairy.
• Leaves: alternate; palmately compound with five leaflets, elongate-oval; the middle leaflet 1 1/2” by 1/2”; leaf stalks 1 1/2” to 2 1/2” long; leaflets long-hairy below, smooth above.
• Inflorescence: racemes at the ends of hairy, upward-curving flower stalks from the lower leaf axils, one to three per plant; racemes 1” to 2 1/2” long, the flowers crowded; 1/2” long bracts below each flower, very hairy.
• Flowers: corolla light blue, 3/4” long; calyx 5/8” long, hairy, with long, sharp lobes and stiff marginal hairs; flowering from mid-May to mid-June.
• Fruits: one-seeded pod developing within the calyx; tapering to a persistent style 1/4” long; fruiting begins in early June.
• Habitat: common on dry, upland prairies to gravelly prairies and Loess Hills prairies in western Iowa.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library