FNA: Dalea aurea

	Dalea aurea
	golden dalea, golden prairie clover
Stems	(2–)3–7.5 dm, nearly eglandular.
Inflorescences	spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, (12–)14–21 mm diam.; axis not visible, (1–)1.5–6 cm; bracts persistent to anthesis, 2.5–5.5 mm.
Peduncles	absent or very short, sometimes appearing relatively long due to small size of distalmost leaves.
Stamens	10, 10–12.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.
Corollas	clear yellow; papilionaceous; banner 6.3–8.6 mm, blade deltate-cordate, 3–4.2 × 3.2–4.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube; wings 4.7–5.6 × 2–2.4 mm; keel connate valvately, blades (4.7–)5–7 × 2.6–3.2 mm.
Calyces	subsymmetric, 6.1–7.4 mm, silky-pilose; tube 2.2–2.8 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate-aristate, becoming plumose.
Legumes	3–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.
Seeds	2–2.4 mm.
Perennial	herbs, erect, pilose to pilosulous.
Principal	leaves 1–3.5(–4) cm; leaflets (3 or)5(or 7), blades obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, (3–)4–16(–20) mm.
2n	= 14, 24.

	Dalea aurea
Phenology	Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat	Open prairies, dry slopes, rocky or sandy areas, on limestone.
Elevation	10–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Dalea aurea is sometimes cultivated in rock gardens or dry soil for its showy flowers with yellow petals. In Texas, the species is quite widespread. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa	Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea
Sibling taxa	D. albiflora, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollis, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii
Synonyms	D. ceciliana
Name authority	Nuttall ex Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 740. (1813)
Web links	Local Web sites: KS Wildflowers WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Dalea aurea

golden dalea, golden prairie clover

Stems

(2–)3–7.5 dm, nearly eglandular.

Inflorescences

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, (12–)14–21 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (1–)1.5–6 cm;

bracts persistent to anthesis, 2.5–5.5 mm.

Peduncles

absent or very short, sometimes appearing relatively long due to small size of distalmost leaves.

Stamens

10, 10–12.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.

Corollas

clear yellow; papilionaceous;

banner 6.3–8.6 mm, blade deltate-cordate, 3–4.2 × 3.2–4.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube;

wings 4.7–5.6 × 2–2.4 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades (4.7–)5–7 × 2.6–3.2 mm.

Calyces

subsymmetric, 6.1–7.4 mm, silky-pilose;

tube 2.2–2.8 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate-aristate, becoming plumose.

Legumes

3–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.

Seeds

2–2.4 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect, pilose to pilosulous.

Principal

leaves 1–3.5(–4) cm;

leaflets (3 or)5(or 7), blades obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, (3–)4–16(–20) mm.

= 14, 24.

Dalea aurea

Phenology

Flowering summer–early fall.

Habitat

Open prairies, dry slopes, rocky or sandy areas, on limestone.

Elevation

10–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dalea aurea is sometimes cultivated in rock gardens or dry soil for its showy flowers with yellow petals. In Texas, the species is quite widespread.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 11.

Parent taxa

Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea

Sibling taxa

D. albiflora, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollis, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii

Synonyms

D. ceciliana

Name authority

Nuttall ex Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 740. (1813)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

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Dalea aurea

Dalea aurea