[2] It is native to much of western North America from the southwestern Canadian provinces to the southwestern and midwestern United States, where it grows in several types of habitats, including sagebrush, grassland, and forests.

This is a perennial herb growing erect to heights anywhere between 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft).

The banner, or upper petal, of the flower may have a patch of white or yellow.

The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 centimeters long containing several beanlike seeds.

It is a host for the Arrowhead Blue (Glaucopsyche piasus) butterfly.