General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems 1 to several, erect, 20-80 cm tall, mostly unbranched, long-soft-hairy.

Leaves:
Alternate, palmately compound; leaflets 3, egg- to heart-shaped, 1-3 cm long, fine-toothed on the upper half; stipules egg-shaped to oblong, sheathing at the base, 1-2 cm long, strongly veined, reddish- or purple-margined.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a dense, cylindric or egg-shaped, terminal head of many pea-like flowers, the heads 2-6 cm long, lacking involucres but subtended by a single leaf; corollas crimson, 12-15 mm long, the banner pointy-tipped and longer than the wings and keel; calyces densely long-hairy, about 3/4 as long as the corollas, the tube ribbed, the teeth bristle-like.

Fruits:
Pods, about 2.5 mm long; seeds usually 1.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Flower Colour:
Red

Blooming Period:
Early Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer

Source:  The USDA

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Trifolium incarnatum var. elatius Gibelli & Belli