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Trailing wild-bean is a native annual, a sprawling or climbing vine 3-9 feet long found in sandy habitats. The stems are slender, round in section, range from light green to dull reddish, and are quite hairy; they produce occasional branches and can twine around neighboring plants. Leaves are alternate, trifoliate compound, with broadly oval to teardrop shaped leaflets 1-2" long and 1/2-1.25" across, widest at the base with a pointed tip. The terminal leaflet may be slightly larger and has a short stalk (petiolule); the lateral leaflets are sessile. Sometimes the bases of the leaflets have a shallow lobe on each side of the midline. The compound leaf has a 1-2" long, slightly fuzzy petiole. Some leaf axils produce 3-6" long flower stalks (peduncles) with 3-10 nearly stalkless flower buds at the tip, only a few of which are open at any one time. The flowers are 1/3-1/2" across, light pink to creamy pink, pea-like with five petals, but the keel is sharply curled upward such that it almost touches the banner (the vertical petal). The fruit is a bean-like seedpod, 2-3.5" long, sparsely covered with short hairs, initially green but turning dark brown as it matures; the seeds are oblong, black, and are also covered with short hairs.

Strophostyles

Strophostyles helvola

trailing wild-bean [Blooms: Aug-Sep]