Herbs perennial. Stems erect or climbing, slender, 3–10 dm. Leaves 6–10 cm; tendrils branched; stipules much smaller than leaflets, semisagittate, with nectariferous patch abaxially; leaflets 8–16, blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, 20–35 × 5–15 mm, apex obtuse to truncate-emarginate, abaxial surface sparsely pubescent, adaxial glabrous. Inflorescences 2–7-flowered, to 1 cm, shorter than subtending leaf rachis. Flowers 8–15 mm; calyx base symmetric, lobes equal, shorter than tube; corolla blue-violet and white, banner oblong, blade equal to claw, glabrous; style compressed abaxially, pubescent apically, tufted abaxially. Legumes black, elliptic, 20–35 × 5–8 mm, tip up-curved, glabrate; stipe to 2 mm. Seeds 3–6, yellowish, reddish, gray or greenish gray with blackish spots or entirely black, globose, 3–4 mm diam.; hilum encircling 1/2–3/4 circumference of seed. 2n = 12, 14.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Roadsides, old fields.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Loading map...

Introduced; Greenland, N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Maine, Mass., Mich., N.H., N.Y., Pa., Vt., W.Va., Europe, Asia.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.