One-biennial plant 7-20 cm tall. The root is 2-3 mm thick. Stems prostrate, less often ascending, reddish at the base, glabrous, from above covered with long, prominent and short, soft, curly hairs. The lower pair of leaflets is located closer to the stem (acts as stipules), these leaflets are ovoid, oblique (asymmetrical), pointed. Three upper leaflets obovate or lanceolate, pointed, covered with adpressed hairs on both sides. Peduncles are thin, 2.5-4 cm long.
Most species have leaves with five leaves; two of them are located at the very base of the leaf, and three others are at the end of the bare midrib. This gives the appearance of a pair of large stipules under the "petiole" bearing a three-leafed shamrock - in fact, true stipules are tiny, and soon fall off or wither. In some species, the leaves are pinnate, with up to 15 leafletsThese flowers are found in clusters of three to ten together at the apex of the stem with some basal leaf bracts; they are in the shape of a pea flower, usually bright yellow, but sometimes orange or red..
