Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea candida

Dalea brachystachys

white prairie-clover
Stems

2.5–10 dm, minutely gland-dotted or eglandular.

(0.5–)1–3.5(–4) dm, eglandular or sparsely glandular-verruculose.
Inflorescences

spikes, densely to somewhat loosely flowered, cylindric, not involucrate, 6–9.5(–10) mm diam.;

axis visible or not, especially in fruit, (1–)1.5–5.5(–7.5) cm;

bracts early deciduous or proximals persistent, interfloral ones held in place by crowded flowers, 2.5–5.5 mm.

spikes, densely flowered, not obviously involucrate, 8–11 mm diam.;

axis not to partially visible, 0.3–1.6 cm;

bracts deciduous near anthesis, 2.5–6 mm.
Peduncles

0–5.5(–7.5) cm.

1–7 cm.
Stamens

5, (5–)5.2–7.6 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–4.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1.2 mm.

(9 or)10, 3.5–5.5 mm, filaments distinct to 1–1.4(–2) mm, anthers 0.3–0.5(–0.6) mm.
Corollas

white;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner (4–)4.2–5.7 mm, blade deltate-obovate, 2.3–3.4 × 2.4–3.7(–4.2) mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2–3.1 × 1.1–2.6 mm.

clear yellow, pinkish or brownish in age; papilionaceous;

banner 2–3.4(–6) mm, blade deltate-ovate or cordate, 1–2 × 1–2 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 1–2(–2.9) × 0.7–1.1(–1.8) mm;

keel connate valvately, blades 1.8–2.8(–3.8) × 1.3–2(–2.4) mm.
Calyces

subsymmetric, (2.9–)3–4.2(–4.4) mm, pilosulous or tube glabrous;

tube 1.9–2.7 mm, not deeply recessed opposite banner, with 1 (or 2) glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate to triangular, ± unequal, abaxial pair longest.

subsymmetric, (3.5–)4.4–5.8(–6) mm, pilose;

tube 1.5–2.1 mm, with (0–)3 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate.
Legumes

(2.6–)2.8–4(–4.5) mm, glabrate or distally pilose, with ± prominent, elongated to circular glands on sides.

2.3–2.6 mm, pilosulous and, sometimes, gland-dotted distally.
Seeds

1.7–2.3 mm.

1.4–1.7 mm.
Perennial

herbs, erect to diffusely spreading, glabrous throughout or proximal to inflorescence.

Principal

leaves (1.5–)2–6 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades oblong to obovate or narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, (6–)9–35 mm.

leaves 0.8–2.5(–3) cm;

leaflets (3 or)5–11, blades oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, 2–14(–16) mm.
Annual

herbs (monocarpic), erect or diffuse, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.
2n

= 14.

Dalea candida

Dalea brachystachys
Phenology Flowering late summer–fall (spring).
Habitat Dry, open habitats in deserts, desert grasslands, open oak, juniper, or pine woodlands.
Elevation 1300–2500 m. (4300–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas)
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Varieties candida and oligophylla were treated as separate species by D. K. Wemple (1970) and are fairly well defined. In regions of overlap, var. oligophylla normally occupies higher, drier sites than var. candida.

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

Dalea brachystachys is found as far south as southeastern Puebla. In the flora area, it is most common in extreme southeastern Arizona and adjacent southwestern New Mexico, with scattered populations through much of both states. Unlike most annual Dalea species, it is rarely weedy.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Spike axis not visible; calyx tube glabrous.
var. candida
1. Spike axis partially visible, especially in fruit; calyx tube usually pubescent, sometimes glabrous.
var. oligophylla
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea
Sibling taxa
D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
D. candida var. candida, D. candida var. oligophylla
Synonyms Petalostemon candidus D. lemmonii
Name authority Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 3: 1337. (1802) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 39. (1853)
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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