Identification
This native perennial with extensively branched stems grows from 1-2 feet tall (C). The foliage is silvery because both stem and leaves are covered with dense white hairs. Alternate, compound leaves on the main stem usually have 4-5 leaflets (D), while those on the branches have only 3 (A,C). These elliptical 1/2 to 2 inch long leaflets radiate outward from a single point (palmately compound)(D). Flower stalks bear whorls of 2-8 inconspicuous, deep-blue, pea-like flowers (A,B); the whorls are widely spaced in an open spike (E). Pods covered with silky hairs contain a single seed.
Grows on dry upland prairies, flowering from June through September. At Neale Woods, it is locally common in the transplanted prairie above the upper parking lot entrance. To date, it has not been seen in any of the prairie restorations.
Native Americans made a tea from the leaves and stems to reduce fevers, and early settlers used it to treat snakebites.
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