Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Dalea candida

Dalea tenuis

white prairie-clover

pinkglobe prairie clover
Stems

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

1.5–4(–5) dm, sparsely glandular-punctate.
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 involucrate, 7–12 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 0.5–2.5 cm;

bracts persistent through anthesis, 1.5–4.5 mm.
Peduncles

0–5.5(–7.5) cm.

2.5–18 cm.
Stamens

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

5, 6–8.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–4.8 mm, anthers 0.8–1 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.

pink;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 4.6–5.8 mm, blade ovate, 2.2–2.5 × 1.5–2.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.7–3.1 ×1–1.3 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, 3–5.2 mm, silky-pilosulous, base with subappressed and retrorse hairs;

tube 2–3.1 mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes subulate or adaxial pair triangular-ovate.
Legumes

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

3.6 mm, glabrous or apically pilosulous, eglandular.
Seeds

1.7–2.3 mm.

apparently unknown.
Perennial

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

herbs, erect, glabrous or sparsely pilosulous.
Principal

leaves (1.5–)2–6 cm;

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

leaves 1.5–3.5 cm;

leaflets 3 or 5, blades linear, 6–15 mm.

Dalea candida

Dalea tenuis
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer (fall).
Habitat Rocky limestone soils.
Elevation 200–600 m. (700–2000 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OK; TX
[BONAP county map]
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 tenuis is largely a species of central Texas occurring as far east as McLennan County and south to Bandera County.

(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. 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. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
D. candida var. candida, D. candida var. oligophylla
Synonyms Petalostemon candidus Petalostemon violaceus var. tenuis, P. tenuis
Name authority Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 3: 1337. (1802) (J. M. Coulter) Shinners: Field & Lab. 17: 84. (1949)
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).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers