Dalea
Dalea mollissima
prairie-clover
downy dalea, silky dalea, soft prairie clover
erect, spreading, ascending, decumbent, prostrate, matted, or tufted, branched, glandular or eglandular, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes spirally twisted.
0.5–3.5 dm, glandular-tuberculate.
alternate, usually odd-pinnate, rarely 3-foliolate;
stipules present, caducous or persistent, deltate, ovate, or subulate;
petiolate;
leaflets 3–43(–49), stipels absent, blades with 2 adaxial intrapetiolular glands and 2 abaxial postpetiolular glands often present between opposing leaflets, not lineolate, margins usually entire, rarely undulate-crenate or crenulate, surfaces usually glandular-punctate abaxially, often pubescent, sometimes glabrous.
10–500+-flowered, loosely to densely flowered, terminal, leaf-opposed, or axillary, usually spikes (sometimes headlike), rarely racemes;
bracts present, caducous or persistent;
bracteoles absent or glandlike, spiculiform.
racemes, spikelike, densely flowered, not involucrate, (12–)13–16(–17) mm diam.;
axis not visible, 1.5–7.5 cm;
bracts deciduous, 4.5–7 mm.
0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.
papilionaceous or not conventionally so (abaxial petals not connate or forming a keel);
calyx campanulate, lobes 5, unequal or ± equal;
ribs 10, usually anastomosing distally, forming closed arches, intervals between ribs usually glandular, rarely eglandular;
petals (3 or)5, corollas white, pale to dark blue, lavender, pink, rose, blue-violet, magenta-purple, or bicolored;
banner reflexed, sometimes as much as 90°, claw slender, shorter to longer than blade;
other petals epistemonous, attached to stamen tube at varying levels, petals usually similar, sometimes differentiated into wings and keel;
wings, if differentiated, not adnate to keel petals;
keel, if differentiated, distinct, connate by overlapping margins, or valvately coherent to form conventional keel, blunt-tipped;
stamens usually 5, 9, or 10, rarely 4 or 6–8, monadelphous, ± uniform, rarely only 3–6 fertile;
anthers dorsifixed;
style glabrous or pilosulous;
ovules 2.
10, 4.3–5 mm, filaments distinct to 1 mm, anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.
whitish, banner sometimes lilac-tinged, keel tip sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous;
banner 2.8–3.7 mm, blade broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.6–)1.8–2.2 × (1.4–)1.7–2.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;
wings 1.8–2.1 × 1.1–1.3 mm;
keel detaching from stamen column after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.6–2.9 × 1.5–1.8 mm.
± symmetric, (5.8–)6.1–8.2 mm, pilose;
tube (2.5–)2.7–3.3 mm, with (3 or)4–7 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.
legumes, sessile, mostly tan, usually ± compressed, obliquely ovoid or semiorbicular, usually indehiscent, sometimes tardily dehiscent, pericarp often membranaceous proximally, thickened distally, usually gland-dotted, usually glabrous or pilosulous, sometimes glabrate, villosulous, pilose, or glabrescent.
2.4–3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
1, brownish, tan, chestnut, or greenish, somewhat compressed, asymmetrically reniform.
1.8–2.2 mm.
herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
leaves 2–4 cm;
leaflets 9–15, blades cuneate-obovate, 3–9(–10) mm, margins undulate-crenate.
= 7, 8.
= 16.
Dalea
Dalea mollissima
Species ca. 170 (58 in the flora).
Dalea is found from south-central Canada throughout much of the United States; it does not occur west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains. This treatment follows closely the treatment by R. C. Barneby (1977c). Barneby placed the 58 species in the flora area in three subgenera and nine sections: subg. Theodora Barneby was divided into two sections, Theodora (spp. 1–3) and Lachnostachyae (Rydberg) Barneby (spp. 4); subg. Dalea contained three sections, Thornbera (Rydberg) Barneby (spp. 5 and 6), Dalea (spp. 7–14), and Kuhnistera (Lamarck) Barneby (spp. 15–37); and subg. Parosela (Cavanilles) Barneby included three sections, sect. Parosela (Cavanilles) Barneby (spp. 39–49), sect. Psoropogon Barneby (spp. 50–52), and sect. Cylipogon (Rafinesque) Barneby (spp. 53–58).
Species that R. C. Barneby (1977c) assigned to sect. Kuhnistera had been monographed by D. K. Wemple (1970) as the genus Petalostemon. Barneby followed Wemple closely in the delimitation of taxa, although he recognized some of the species treated by Wemple only at the varietal level and felt unable to continue recognition of Petalostemon as a separate genus. The characteristics that define Petalostemon all occur separately or in combination in other species of Dalea. If Petalostemon is recognized, some species, such as D. obovata and several species related to D. exigua, become controversial in their placement.
Dalea shares with Marina a unique placement of the inner two pairs of petals, which have migrated out on a tubular disc and appear to perch on the stamen tubes. The two genera are separated morphologically by well-correlated features including ovule number (two in Dalea, one in Marina, both developing one seed), the basic chromosome number (seven in Dalea, ten in Marina), the structure of the trichomes (flexuous, spirally twisted when long and changing color in drying in Dalea, stiff, short, and unchanged by drying in Marina), the presence (in Marina) or absence (in Dalea) of sinuous lines (lineoles) on the leaflets, and the calyx rib architecture (anastomosing in the lobes in Dalea but not in Marina).
In the key and descriptions, leaflet numbers are for leaflets of principal leaves, diameters of inflorescences exclude corollas, indument of calyx is external unless otherwise indicated, and glands on calyx tubes “between ribs” refers to pairs of adjacent ribs.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Although Dalea mollissima normally blooms early in the spring, with adequate summer moisture it germinates in fall and winters over, so that individual plants can be large and may be mistaken as perennial. It resembles D. mollis, with which it overlaps in range, and may be collected with that species. Cuneate-obovate and undulate-margined leaves of D. mollissima resemble those of D. neomexicana, leading to further confusion among herbarium specimens. In California, D. mollissima is known only from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Corollas papilionaceous (2 abaxial petals connate into a conventional keel enclosing stamens). | → 2 |
2. Keel petals connate by overlapping margins; inflorescences densely flowered racemes. | → 3 |
3. Banners 5.7–7.6 mm; corollas dark blue or blue-violet. | D. lachnostachys |
3. Banners 2.8–5.6 mm; corollas whitish, often lilac- or violet-tinged. | → 4 |
4. Perennial herbs; keel petals persistent, remaining attached to stamen column. | D. neomexicana |
4. Annual herbs, sometimes appearing perennial; keel petals detaching from stamen column after anthesis. | → 5 |
5. Calyx tube 1.6–2.5 mm, lobes shorter than exserted keel; leaflet blade margins ± entire to obscurely undulate. | D. mollis |
5. Calyx tube 2.5–3.3 mm, lobes exceeding keel; leaflet blade margins undulate-crenate. | D. mollissima |
2. Keel petals connate valvately; inflorescences loosely or densely flowered spikes. | → 6 |
6. Corollas opening yellow, sometimes brownish, purplish, pinkish, reddish, or orangish in age. | → 7 |
7. Annual herbs; leaves and stems glabrous. | D. brachystachys |
7. Perennial herbs; leaves and stems pubescent. | → 8 |
8. Leaflets usually 5. | → 9 |
9. Bracts 6–12 mm; calyces (8.5–)9–12.3 mm. | D. wrightii |
9. Bracts 2.5–5.5 mm; calyces 4.5–7.4(–7.5) mm. | → 10 |
10. Banners (4–)4.4–5.5 mm; keel blades 2.9–4.8 mm; spikes 7–13(–15) mm diam. | D. nana |
10. Banners 6.3–8.6 mm; keel blades (4.7–)5–7 mm; spike (12–)14–21 mm diam. | D. aurea |
8. Leaflets usually 3. | → 11 |
11. Keel blades 3.2–4 mm; spikes densely flowered; axis not visible at anthesis. | D. laniceps |
11. Keel blades 5.2–6.4 mm; spikes densely to loosely flowered; axis sometimes partially visible at anthesis. | → 12 |
12. Calyces (5.1–)5.5–7.8 mm; leaflet blades linear-elliptic to linear; c, nc Texas. | D. hallii |
12. Calyces (8.3–)8.5–12(–13.3) mm; leaflet blades obovate to broadly oblanceolate; w Texas to Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma. | D. jamesii |
6. Corollas not predominantly yellow, sometimes banner yellowish or with yellow center. | → 13 |
13. Annual herbs; leaflets 3 or 5, blades linear-filiform. | D. filiformis |
13. Perennial herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs; leaflets usually 5–35, rarely 3 (in D. enneandra, D. lasiathera, and D. pogonathera), blades usually obovate to oblanceolate, oblong to elliptic, or ovate, rarely linear-oblanceolate. | → 14 |
14. Corollas, including banner, opening white to cream or greenish, sometimes becoming brownish or maroon in age. | → 15 |
15. Perennial herbs; stamens 9; spikes remotely flowered, axes (1–)2.5–12 cm. | D. enneandra |
15. Shrubs or subshrubs; stamens 10; spikes loosely flowered (but flowers not remote), axes 0.2–2(–3) cm. | → 16 |
16. Leaflets 15–23 (or 25); stamens (6.2–)6.5–8.5 mm; calyx lobes triangular- aristate and abaxial not uncinate. | D. carthagenensis |
16. Leaflets 7–11; stamens 4.3–5.5 mm; calyx lobes triangular-aristate and abaxial becoming uncinate. | D. scandens |
14. Corollas usually opening pink to magenta or purple to violet, rarely all white (in D. frutescens), banner often white to yellowish or marked with a pale, yellowish, or greenish center, sometimes reddish in age. | → 17 |
17. Corollas not opening bicolored, banner sometimes with yellowish or greenish center; herbs. | → 18 |
18. Calyx tube 2.6–3.4 mm, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose; leaflets (3 or)5 or 7. | D. pogonathera |
18. Calyx tube 3.3–3.9 mm, lobes triangular-subulate, pilosulous, not plumose; leaflets (3–)7–11. | D. lasiathera |
17. Corollas usually opening bicolored, rarely white (in D. frutescens), banner whitish to yellowish, epistemonous petals pink, rose, magenta, purple, or violet; shrubs or subshrubs. | → 19 |
19. Calyces glabrous. | D. frutescens |
19. Calyces sparsely to densely pubescent. | → 20 |
20. Calyx tube with inconspicuous glands (0–2), when present, then minute in intervals between calyx ribs), lobes each with several elongated, pricklelike glands. | D. tentaculoides |
20. Calyx tube with obvious blister glands between ribs, lobes without gland spurs, or with a few inconspicuous blister glands. | → 21 |
21. Subshrubs, mat-forming, stems procumbent or arching (often rooting along stems); bracts persistent. | D. greggii |
21. Shrubs or subshrubs, not mat-forming, stems relatively erect; bracts early or tardily deciduous or persistent. | → 22 |
22. Calyces (7.5–)8.5–13.5(–16.2) mm. | D. formosa |
22. Calyces (3.5–)3.8–7.2 mm. | → 23 |
23. Spikes involucrate; leaflets 5 or 7(or 9). | D. pulchra |
23. Spikes not involucrate; leaflets (5 or)7–19. | → 24 |
24. Stems prominently tuberculate or verrucose distally; calyx tube length greater than 1/2 of overall calyx; sc New Mexico to w Texas. | D. bicolor |
24. Stems eglandular to glandular-verruculose distally; calyx tube length 1/2 or less of overall calyx; se Arizona to sw New Mexico. | D. versicolor |
1. Corollas not conventionally papilionaceous (2 abaxial petals usually distinct, rarely weakly adherent, not connate into a conventional keel enclosing stamens). | → 25 |
25. Annual herbs. | → 26 |
26. Bracts persistent through anthesis; fertile stamens 3–6. | → 27 |
27. Calyx tube with 4–7 blister glands between ribs; spikes 8.5–10.5(–11) mm diam.; leaflets (5–)11–17. | D. emarginata |
27. Calyx tube with 0 or 1 (or 2) blister glands between ribs; spikes 5–8(–9) mm diam.; leaflets 3–7 (or 9). | → 28 |
28. Calyx tube eglandular; leaflets usually 3 or 5. | D. exigua |
28. Calyx tube with 1 (or 2) blister glands between ribs; leaflets usually 5 or 7. | D. polygonoides |
26. Bracts deciduous by anthesis; fertile stamens 7–10. | → 29 |
29. Stamens (7.5–)8–11 mm; blades of epistemonous petals (2–)3–5 mm; rare in extreme se Arizona. | D. exserta |
29. Stamens 4.2–6.8 mm; blades of epistemonous petals 1.3–2.4(–2.6) mm; widespread or restricted to ec Arizona, adjacent New Mexico. | → 30 |
30. Calyx pilose or pilosulous, tube (1.7–)2–2.5(–2.8) mm; epistemonous petals 4; widespread. | D. leporina |
30. Calyx glabrous, except lobes, tube (2.4–)2.6–3.4(–4.5) mm; epistemonous petals 2; restricted to a small region of ec Arizona, adjacent New Mexico. | D. urceolata |
25. Perrenial herbs (sometimes short-lived), subshrubs, or shrubs. | → 31 |
31. Stamens (8–)10. | → 32 |
32. Banners: blade ± peltate, ± cucullate; stamens 8–10 (sometimes only 5 functional); herbs prostrate, always growing in sand. | D. lanata |
32. Banners plane, blade not peltate; stamens 10; herbs erect, often growing on rocky hillsides, canyons, woodlands, not always in sand. | → 33 |
33. Herbs silky-villosulous or pilosulous to puberulent throughout (especially near base). | → 34 |
34. Calyces pilosulous; epistemonous petals attached near tip of stamen tube; corollas white. | D. albiflora |
34. Calyces glabrate or pubescent distally; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube; corollas white or epistemonous petals blue or bluish. | D. lumholtzii |
33. Herbs glabrous proximal to inflorescences. | → 35 |
35. Corollas white or whitish, banner reddish or purplish in age; spikes 7–9 mm diam. | D. grayi |
35. Corollas bright purple or banner whitish (lilac-tinged); spikes 8–12 mm diam. | D. pringlei |
31. Stamens 5. | → 36 |
36. Spikes (12–)14–20 mm diam.; corollas white. | D. obovata |
36. Spikes mostly 5.5–14(–16) mm diam.; corollas magenta-, rose-, lavender-, or lilac-purple, rose-lilac, lavender, pink, pinkish tan, or white (if spikes greater than 14 mm diam., corollas rose-lilac or rose-purple). | → 37 |
37. Stamens 3.8–4.6 mm, filaments distinct to 0.9–1.2 mm. | D. emarginata |
37. Stamens 5–12(–12.7) mm, filaments distinct to 2.2–7.6(–8.7) mm. | → 38 |
38. Spikes conspicuously involucrate (subtended by sterile bracts, some transitional to leaves proximally), appearing capitate; calyx tube eglandular, pilose. | D. pinnata |
38. Spikes not involucrate or not obviously so (when involucrate, bracts not transitional to leaves proximally), not appearing capitate; calyx tube glandular or eglandular, glabrous or pubescent. | → 39 |
39. Leaflets (7 or) 9–41(–49). | → 40 |
40. Corollas white; calyx tube with 1–7 blister glands between ribs. | → 41 |
41. Spike axis (1.5–)2.5–9(–13) cm; leaflets 13–41(–49). | D. phleoides |
41. Spikes appearing nearly globose, axis 0.4–1(–1.2) cm; leaflets (7 or)9 or 11(or 13). | D. multiflora |
40. Corollas usually pink, rose, rose-purple, lavender or lavender-purple, rarely white; calyx tube eglandular between ribs. | → 42 |
42. Calyx tube densely pilosulous, including lobes. | D. villosa |
42. Calyx tube glabrous, lobes sometimes pilosulous. | → 43 |
43. Spike axis partially visible at anthesis, 4–9 cm; leaflets 11–17; rare in Bandera, Uvalde, and Val Verde counties, Texas. | D. sabinalis |
43. Spike axis not visible at anthesis, 1.5–4.5 cm; leaflets 19–29(or 31); rare in Alabama, Illinois, Tennessee. | D. foliosa |
39. Leaflets 3–9. | → 44 |
44. Calyx tube without blister glands between ribs; leaflet blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, linear-oblong, or linear-elliptic. | → 45 |
45. Spikes densely flowered, axis not visible; bracts persistent through anthesis. | → 46 |
46. Calyces (4.4–)5–6.2 mm, pilosulous, with lines of antrorse, subappressed hairs proximal to sinuses and on margins of lobes. | D. compacta |
46. Calyces 3–5(–5.2) mm, pubescence not restricted to lines, or, if partly restricted, then hairs near base of calyx retrorse. | → 47 |
47. Calyces with antrorse hairs at base. | D. purpurea |
47. Calyces with retrorse or tangled hairs at base. | → 48 |
48. Calyx base with retrorse hairs; legumes glabrous or apically ± pilosulous; c, n Texas, adjacent Oklahoma. | D. tenuis |
48. Calyx base with intertangled hairs; legumes tomentulose on distal 2/3; Bibb County, Alabama. | D. cahaba |
45. Spikes loosely to moderately densely flowered, axis partially visible, at least at anthesis; bracts usually deciduous by anthesis, sometimes held between calyces (proximals persistent in D. gattingeri). | → 49 |
49. Leaflets 7 or 9; calyx with ribs leading to sinuses stronger than those leading to lobes so that calyx tube bluntly 5-angled in cross section. | D. reverchonii |
49. Leaflets usually 3–7, rarely 9 (in D. gattingeri); calyx prominently to indistinctly 10-ribbed, tube ± circular in cross section. | → 50 |
50. Leaflets 5 or 7 (or 9); stems proximally glabrous or glabrescent, distally usually sparsely pilosulous; Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee. | D. gattingeri |
50. Leaflets 3 or 5; stems pilosulous proximally, distally usually glabrescent; Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas. | D. tenuifolia |
44. Calyx tube usually with 1–several blister glands between ribs; leaflet blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, obovate, oblong-obovate, obovate-cuneate, elliptic, or linear, sometimes glands absent or inconspicuous, then leaflet blades elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, or oblong-elliptic. | → 51 |
51. Calyx usually pilose to pilosulous, sometimes glabrous (in D. searlsiae). | → 52 |
52. Spikes 13–16 mm diam. | D. ornata |
52. Spikes 6–12(–13) mm diam. | → 53 |
53. Calyces subsymmetric, not recessed opposite banner; spike axis (1–). | → 1 |
1. 5–5.5(–7.5) cm. | D. candida |
53. Calyces asymmetric, slightly to deeply recessed opposite banner; spike axis (1–)2–18 cm (when calyx slightly recessed, then spike axis, at least those terminating main stems, 9–18 cm). | → 54 |
54. Calyces slightly recessed opposite banners; axis of longest terminal spikes often 9–18 cm. | D. cylindriceps |
54. Calyces deeply recessed opposite banners; axis of spikes mostly 2–9 cm. | → 55 |
55. Corollas white, ochroleucous when dry; spike axis not visible at anthesis; ne, e Arizona, s, c Utah. | D. flavescens |
55. Corollas usually rose-purple, rarely white; spike axis partially visible at anthesis; nw Arizona, w California, Nevada, w Utah. | D. searlsiae |
51. Calyx glabrous, sometimes lobes ciliolate, or, sometimes, pilosulous (in D. candida). | → 56 |
56. Calyx with 3+ blister glands between ribs and glands scattered or in more than 1 row in spaces between adaxial ribs. | → 57 |
57. Corollas pale pink to rose-purple; spike axis 1.5–9(–13) cm, usually partially visible at anthesis; from near Albuquerque and Belen, New Mexico. | D. scariosa |
57. Corollas white; spike axis 0.3–1.4 cm, not visible at anthesis; from a small region in w Texas. | D. bartonii |
56. Calyx usually with (0 or) 1–4 blister glands between ribs. | → 58 |
58. Calyx not deeply recessed opposite banner (opening not oblique); corollas white. | → 59 |
59. Leaflets 5–9; spikes cylindric, axis (1–)1.5–5.5(–7.5) cm. | D. candida |
59. Leaflets (7 or)9 or 11(or 13); spikes nearly globose, axis 0.4–1(–1.2) cm. | D. multiflora |
58. Calyx deeply recessed opposite banner (opening oblique); corollas pink, lavender, rose-purple, pinkish tan, or white. | → 60 |
60. Leaflet blades linear, involute. | D. feayi |
60. Leaflet blades elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, flat or folded. | → 61 |
61. Spikes (8–)9–11 mm diam., axis partially visible at anthesis, (1.5–)2–9(–14) cm; nw Arizona, w California, Nevada to w Utah. | D. searlsiae |
61. Spikes 7–10 mm diam., axis not visible at anthesis, 0.5–3(–3.5) cm; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, w Louisiana to Mississippi. | D. carnea |
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