Color, deep purplish red. Calyx, of 3 small, green sepals and 2 large, colored wings. Corolla of 3 petals, the keel crested. Stamens, 6 or 8. Leaves, scattered on stem, simple, entire, long, narrow. Fruit, a pod, flat and notched at the top. Flowers, clustered in a globular head, like clover, which elongates as it grows older. Stems, branched and leafy. June to September.

A pretty flower found in various soils, moist and dry, by roadsides, mostly in wet meadows, where it is often so plentiful as to make masses of color. Common, from New England westward and southward.

P. mariana.. - Color, rose purple. A slender, smooth species with flowers collected in button-like heads on pedicels. Lower flowers, with their bracts, fall soon, leaving the stem rough. Leaves, about 1/2 inch long, scattered on the stem, which is 6 to 16 inches high. July to September.

Dry or moist sandy soil, common, from southern New England to Florida and Texas.

P. Nuttallii - Color, greenish or dull purple. (See under Purple Flowers, p. 319.)