Matted perennial herb; stems spreading on ground (humistrate), freely branching, densely leafy, to 4 dm long; herbage densely hairy with soft, fine, basifixed hairs; stipules connate; leaves silvery-gray, 1.5-4 cm long; leaflets 9-15, obovate or oblong-elliptic, 2.5-9 mm long, 1-3 mm wide; racemes shortly but loosely 4-10 flowered; flowers pea-like; calyx about 5.5 mm long; petals whitish, fading to ochroleucous, often blushed with lilac or dull purple; pods lying on the ground, twisted on the stalk and ascending, sessile, obliquely semi-ovoid, pilosulous, 6 mm long (excluding the persistent style base), 3 mm wide.

A second phase has been recognized as the variety spellenbergii (Welsh 2007). This variety is more robust, tends to bear greenish leaflets that are flat, with a calyx 5.5 - 6.9 mm long, tube 3-3.8 mm long and teeth 2-3.1 mm long, and a banner measuring 8-10 mm long, vs. calyx 4.5-5.3 mm long, tube 2.5-3.2 mm, teeth 1.5-2.6 mm long, a banner 7.3-8 mm. Flowers late May through July.