Its common name refers to its sweet scent, which is said to be very reminiscent of grape soda.

This species and its variants are found in Southwestern United States, especially in California and Nevada, e.g., Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, and northwestern Mexico.

Generally covered with silvery hairs, each is made up of 7 to 10 narrow 5–50 millimetres (0.2–2.0 in) leaflets.

The raceme inflorescence is a tall stalk of rich purple flowers, each with a bright yellow spot.

The fruit is a silky legume pod up to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in length containing mottled brown seeds.