Aaron's Rod

Perennial, Herbs, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems 1-2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Stipules clasping stem at the base, Stipules cordate, lobed, or sagittate, Leaves compound, Leaves palmately 2-3 foliate, Leaves odd pinnate , Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 3, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Leaves coriaceous, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence terminal, Bracts conspicuously present, Bracts hairy, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Banner petal suborbicular, broadly rounded, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens completely free, separate, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit compressed between seeds, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.

Thermopsis villosa, commonly referred to as Aaron's rod, Carolina lupine, or Carolina lupin, is an herbaceous plant in the legume family. Its native range is in North America, in the southern Appalachian mountains. It is found elsewhere as an escape from cultivation.