Canada, or showy ticktrefoil, a member of the Fabaceae (Bean) family, is a perennial herb, 2 - 4 feet tall with alternate, short-stalked, beanlike leaves composed of 3 leaflets. The leaflets are 1 1/2 - 4 inches long, two or more times longer than broad, and on very short stalks. Elongate clusters of bright purple flowers occur at the ends of the branches. Showy ticktrefoil usually blooms mid to late summer and is frequently found in moist to dry sites in prairies, pastures, thickets, and along streams.Several other species of ticktrefoil occur in prairies, but all others have smaller flowers. Ticktrefoils are also known as "Sticktights", because the flattened, rough fruit segments cling tenaciously to clothing, shoelaces, and hair.