Dalea albiflora
Dalea mollissima
whiteflower prairie clover
downy dalea, silky dalea, soft prairie clover
(2–)2.5–5(–7) dm, sparsely gland-dotted distally.
0.5–3.5 dm, glandular-tuberculate.
spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 7–10 mm diam.;
axis not visible, (1–)1.5–6(–7) cm;
bracts early deciduous to persistent, 1.5–3.2 mm.
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.
0.5–8.5 cm.
0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.
10, (5–)6–8 mm, filaments distinct to 3.5–4.5 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.
10, 4.3–5 mm, filaments distinct to 1 mm, anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.
white;
not conventionally papilionaceous;
banner plane, (4.4–)5–6.4 mm, blade oblong-ovate, not peltate, proximally cordate to cuneate, (2.6–)3–4 × (2–)2.2–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached high on stamen tube, just proximal to separation of filaments, blades (2.7–)3.1–4.4 × (0.8–)1.3–1.9(–2.2) 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.
asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, (2.8–)3.2–5.1 mm, pilosulous;
tube (1.9–)2–3(–3.3) mm, with 3–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular.
± 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.
2.2–2.9 mm, villosulous distally and gland-dotted.
2.4–3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
1.6–2 mm.
1.8–2.2 mm.
herbs, erect, ± silky-villosulous.
leaves 1–4 cm;
leaflets (13–)17–35(–41), blades oblanceolate to linear-elliptic, (1.5–)2–7(–10) mm.
leaves 2–4 cm;
leaflets 9–15, blades cuneate-obovate, 3–9(–10) mm, margins undulate-crenate.
herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
= 14, 24.
= 16.
Dalea albiflora
Dalea mollissima
Dalea albiflora is a complex and variable species that could use further morphological and cytological studies. While herbarium specimens cannot be sorted into varieties in any consistent way, in the field, delicate plants with slender, creeping rootstocks may grow with, and appear quite distinct from, plants with a stout caudex; such plants have been called D. ordiae. There are few chromosome counts available; preliminary study suggests that the former plants are tetraploid and the latter diploid (D. E. Ward et al. 1993).
(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.)
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