Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea carnea

Dalea gattingeri

pink tassels, whitetassels

Gattinger prairie clover, purpletassels
Stems

3–8(–10) dm, gland-dotted distally.

1.5–3.5 dm, usually glabrous or glabrescent at base, pilosulous distally, eglandular or with scattered small glands.
Inflorescences

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 7–10 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 0.5–3(–3.5) cm;

bracts deciduous with fruit, 2–5.5 mm.

spikes, moderately densely flowered, not involucrate, (8–)9–10 mm diam.;

axis becoming partially visible, 1.5–7.5 cm;

bracts early deciduous or proximals persistent, interfloral ones held in place by crowded flowers, 3–5(–6) mm.
Peduncles

0–8 cm.

0.5–2.5 cm.
Stamens

5, 5–9.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.7–6 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.

5, 6.3–7.8 mm, filaments distinct to 3.8–5.4 mm, anthers 0.8–1 mm.
Corollas

usually white, sometimes pink to pinkish tan;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 3.8–5.7 mm, blade ovate, 1.8–3 × 1.4–2.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 1.7–3.3 × 0.7–1.11 mm.

rose-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 5.2–6.2 mm, blade ovate, 2.1–2.6 × (1.6–)2–2.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.6–3.2 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
Calyces

asymmetric, deeply recessed opposite banner, opening oblique, 2.7–4.3 mm, glabrous except lobes ciliolate;

tube 2–3.5 mm, with (0 or)1–3 small blister glands between ribs, lobes subulate or adaxial pair ovate.

subsymmetric, 4–5 mm, pilose-tomentulose;

tube 2–2.5(–2.7) mm, prominently to indistinctly 10-ribbed, ± circular in cross section, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate or adaxial pair ovate.
Legumes

2.5–3 mm, glabrous or distally pilosulous, ± glandular.

2.8–3.3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
Seeds

1.4–1.8 mm.

2.2 mm.
Perennial

herbs, erect to ascending or diffusely spreading to procumbent, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

herbs, diffusely spreading, distally pilosulous on stems.
Principal

leaves 1.5–4 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades flat or folded, elliptic to oblanceolate, (5–)6–17 mm.

leaves 2–3.5 cm;

leaflets 5 or 7(or 9), blades linear to linear-oblanceolate or linear-elliptic, 8–18 mm.
2n

= 14.

Dalea carnea

Dalea gattingeri
Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Cedar glades and barrens, on rocky, calcareous soils.
Elevation 150–500 m. (500–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
se United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; GA; MO; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

The varieties of Dalea carnea are fairly distinctive, and two are largely allopatric. Variety gracilis occurs in the Florida panhandle and west while var. carnea is found farther east and throughout peninsular Florida. Variety albida overlaps the ranges of the other varieties and extends north into Georgia.

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

Dalea gattingeri is a narrow habitat specialist that can be locally common in suitable habitat.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Calyces 3.2–4.3 mm, lobes 0.9–1.5 mm; petals usually pink to pinkish tan, rarely white.
var. carnea
1. Calyces 2.7–3.5 mm, lobes 0.6–1.1 mm; petals white.
→ 2
2. Leaflets mostly 5; stamens 6–9.5 mm; stems erect to ascending.
var. albida
2. Leaflets mostly 7; stamens 5–6 mm; stems diffusely spreading to procumbent.
var. gracilis
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. candida, 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. 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. carnea var. albida, D. carnea var. carnea, D. carnea var. gracilis
Synonyms Petalostemon carneus Kuhnistera gattingeri, Petalostemon gattingeri
Name authority (Michaux) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 12: 462. (1818) (A. Heller) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 274. (1977)
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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