General: Perennial from a branched root-crown; stems several, erect, 30-90 cm tall, simple to freely branched, densely velvety-hairy and with additional, longer, spreading to appressed hairs.
Leaves: Mainly alternate along the stem, palmately compound, with stalks 1-3 times as long as the blades; leaflets 7 to 10, elliptic-oblanceolate, pointed at the tip, 2-6 cm long, velvety on both surfaces.
Flowers: Inflorescence a short-stalked, long-tapering, terminal raceme, 10-40 cm long, of densely whorled pea-like flowers, the flower-stalks 1.5-3 mm long; corollas pale lavender to whitish, 8-12 mm long, the banner densely hairy on the back, the wings glabrous, the keel fringed with hairs along the upper edges; calyces shaggy, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-toothed, the lower lip entire.
Fruits: Pods, 1.5-2.5 cm long, shaggy with rusty hairs; seeds 4 to 6.
If more than one illustration is
available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two
subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below.
Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
