FNA: Dalea aurea vs. Dalea mollis

	Dalea aurea	Dalea mollis
	golden dalea, golden prairie clover	hairy prairie clover, silky dalea
Stems	(2–)3–7.5 dm, nearly eglandular.	1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.
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.	racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.; axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.
Peduncles	absent or very short, sometimes appearing relatively long due to small size of distalmost leaves.	0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.
Stamens	10, 10–12.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.	10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 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.	whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous; banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube; wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm; keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 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.	± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose; tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.
Legumes	3–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.	2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
Seeds	2–2.4 mm.	1.8–2.2 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.	leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.
Annual		herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
2n	= 14, 24.	= 16 [Mexico].

	Dalea aurea	Dalea mollis
Phenology	Flowering summer–early fall.	Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).
Habitat	Open prairies, dry slopes, rocky or sandy areas, on limestone.	Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.
Elevation	10–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)	-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora) [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.)	Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 11.	FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa	Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea	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	D. albiflora, D. aurea, 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. 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)	Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)
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	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Dalea mollis

golden dalea, golden prairie clover

hairy prairie clover, silky dalea

Stems

(2–)3–7.5 dm, nearly eglandular.

1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.

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.

racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.

Peduncles

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

0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.

Stamens

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

10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 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.

whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous;

banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm;

keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 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.

± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose;

tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.

Legumes

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

2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.

Seeds

2–2.4 mm.

1.8–2.2 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.

leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.

Annual

herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.

= 14, 24.

= 16 [Mexico].

Dalea mollis

Phenology

Flowering summer–early fall.

Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).

Habitat

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

Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.

Elevation

10–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)

-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)

Distribution

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

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora)

[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.)

Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state.

(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

D. albiflora, D. aurea, 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. 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)

Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)

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 mollis

Dalea aurea

Dalea mollis