Stout plant with many stems branching from the centre of the plant. Scapes leafless, to 21 cm tall in plant in photograph. Flowers pale yellow, quite showy, in a dense spike, spike to 5 cm in length. Length of keel from scape to tip of keel to 18 mm. Plant is silky hairy, giving the leaves a greyish green appearance. Leaves pinnate, up to 15 leaflets.
Very common on prairie and dry hillsides, early blooming, beginning in May.
Could be mistaken for another Locoweed which grows in Saskatchewan - Oxytropis monticola, both have pale yellow flowers. However, the flower spike of that plant is from 5 to 20 cm in length, while for O. campestris it is only 4 to 5 cm in length (Taxonomic Reminder for Recognizing Saskatchewan Plants).
We took the above photos May 13th in the Qu'Appelle river valley 35 km north of Regina, SK.
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