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 Leaves Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) |  Plant Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial) |  Fruit Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Perennial Similar Species: Phaseolus ritensis
General Desc:
Slender-stemmed perennial that trails along the ground or twines on other plants. Each leaf is divided into 3 egg-shaped leaflets. Purplish-pink butterfly-like flowers with a reddish upper petal grow in clusters at the leaf axils (between leaf and stem).
Identification notes: Trailing; 3 egg-shaped leaflets per leaf, tips pointed, margins smooth, point upward, rough hairs make them feel like sandpaper; flowers held above the leaves, purplish-pink with reddish banners, keel curls back; fruit pods broad, flattened.
Height:
Up to about 3 feet
Habitat Description: Found on valley floors (lowest part of a valley), dry rocky hillsides in meadows, slopes in open oak woodlands, pine forests and grasslands.
Plant Communities:
Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest
Elevation: 4000 - 7400 feet
Color:
Purplish-pink, reddish
Shape:
Irregular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Aug - Sep
Description:
Flowers grow in small axillary clusters (between the leaves and the stem). Each flower has 5 petals consisting of 1 wide reddish upper banner petal, 2 flatter purplish-pink wing petals and a keel of 2 fused center spiral petals that curl backwards.
Leaf Color:
Light green
Leaf Type:
Compound
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Smooth
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaflets point upwards and are not pressed against the ground. They are leathery, grow up to about 3 inches long, have small hooked hairs and web-like veins especially prominent underneath. Slender stems have parallel streaks and sparse fine hairs.
Fruit Color: Green
Fruit Type: Pod
Fruit Notes: The fruit is a smooth, curved, very flattened pod 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. It produces several seeds and opens at maturity to release them.
Seed Notes: The seed is smooth, about 1/4 inch, rounded and irregularly streaked with black and brown spots on its surface (mottled).
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