Shrub or small tree; lfls 5, rarely more, thin, oblanceolate to obovate, glabrous to tomentulose beneath; cal tubular, red or yellow, 10-18 mm, shallowly lobed, finely puberulent; pet red or rarely yellow, glandular-ciliate, the lateral 2-3 cm, with oblong-obovate blade and long claw, the upper 2.5-4 cm, with minute, oblong-obovate to suborbicular blade; stamens 6-8, sometimes slightly longer than the upper pet; fr smooth, 3-6 cm thick; 2n=40. Rich damp woods; coastal plain from N.C. to Fla. and Tex, and inland to s. Mo., s. Ill., and Ky. Apr. (A. discolor, the phase with more tomentose lvs, commoner westward)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.