Plants (13–)19–30(–35) cm, herb­age silky-pilose, greenish or canescent. Leaves (5–)8–17 cm; stipules usually pilose, sometimes glabrescent abax­ially, margins sometimes ciliate; leaflets 11–17(or 19), opposite or subopposite, blades 9–30 mm. Peduncles (8–)12–30 cm, axis 2–10 cm in fruit. Racemes 10–28-flowered. Calyces: tube 5–6.5 mm, lobes (1.8–)2.5–4 mm. Corollas white, banner often veined, keel tip maculate with purplish blue, 15–20(–22) mm. Legumes 16–23 × 5–7 mm. 2n = 48.

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Gravel bars, stream banks, lake shores.
Elevation: 300–1100 m.

Distribution

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Mont., Wash.

Discussion

Variety columbiana is distinguished by the combi­nation of small number of leaflets, whitish flowers with maculate keels, and its soft, silky pubescence; it is very similar to var. spicata, with which it is somewhat transitional. It differs in about the same manner as other varieties in this complex group of infraspecific taxa. Most of the Washington populations appear to have been eradicated by storage water in a reservoir. This variety is known currently mainly from islands in, and points around, Flathead Lake, Lake County, Montana. The tendency toward relatively large flowers and only 11–17 leaflets is similar to the so-called cervinus phase of var. spicata, which is common some distance north of Flathead Lake and extending into British Columbia.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.