Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Habitat: Costal dunes to moist meadows and stream banks at low to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: May-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, butterflies, flies

Glabrous, tap-rooted perennial, decumbent-based and often rhizomatous, stems 1-8 dm. long.

Leaves trifoliate, long-petiolate; leaflets linear-elliptic to oblong-obovate, 1-3 cm. long, finely serrulate; stipules 1-4 cm. long, lacerate-margined and acuminate.

Inflorescence of 2- to 60-flowered, involucrate heads 2-3 cm. broad on axillary peduncles; involucre flared, saucer-shaped, from 2 cm. broad and lacerately 8- to 12-lobed, to shallowly lobed, the lobes entire; calyx glabrous, about 2/3 as long as the corolla, the tube 10-veined, the 5 teeth lanceolate and needle-tipped, equal to each other and the tube; corolla pea-like,10-18 mm. long, erect or spreading, reddish to purple, often white-tipped.

Pod 1-4 seeded.