Flower:

A single flower 3/8 to ½ inch across at the end of a long naked stem, with 5 to 7 white petal-like sepals that drop off early. Numerous white-tipped stamens surround bright green styles that are curled at the tip. Alternating with the sepals are golden yellow club-shaped petals that are shorter than the stamens, with a cup-shaped tip that holds nectar. A plant typically has 1 flowering stem but may have multiples.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are evergreen, basal, palmately compound in groups of 3 at the end of a naked stem that is shorter than the flower stem. Leaflets are fan-shaped, up to 1 inch long, hairless, with notched tips or shallow lobes, small teeth around the tip half, a shiny surface, and a minute stalk. Stems are slender and hairless.

Fruit:

Fruit is a candelabra array of 4 to 7 pods, each about 1/3 inch long, generally elliptic with a long taper to a pointed tip, the beak mostly straight, and on a stalk about as long as the pod.

Notes:

This is an early and swift bloomer; the petal-like sepals do not last very long, making this species hard to catch at the right time. The common name Goldthread comes from its root system, which is thread-like and bright yellow.