Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea lachnostachys

pink tassels, whitetassels

glandleaf prairie clover

Stems

3–8(–10) dm, gland-dotted distally.

1.5–4 dm, black-warty.

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.

racemes, spikelike, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, (15–)16–19(–20) mm diam.;

axis usually not visible, 2.5–5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 7–11 mm.

Peduncles

0–8 cm.

1–8(–11) cm.

Stamens

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

10, 6.6–8.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.3–2.9 mm, anthers (0.5–)0.6–0.8 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.

dark blue or blue-violet; papilionaceous;

banner 5.7–7.6 mm, blade shallowly cordate, (3.5–)3.8–4.8 × 2.2–3.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached well proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 3.7–5 × 1.3–1.8 mm;

keel connate by overlapping margins, blades (3.8–)4–4.7 × 1.7–2.2 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.

± symmetric, (4.3–)5.8–7.7 mm, pilose;

tube 2.6–3.1 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate.

Legumes

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

(3–)3.3–4 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.4–1.8 mm.

1.8–2.4 mm.

Perennial

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

herbs, erect, ± pilosulous.

Principal

leaves 1.5–4 cm;

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

leaves 3–8(–9.5) cm;

leaflets (5 or) 7 or 9 (or 11), blades obovate, (5–)7–17 mm, margins entire or ± crenulate, surfaces glandular-pustulate around margins abaxially.

= 14.

Dalea lachnostachys

Phenology

Flowering late summer–fall.

Habitat

Open deserts, dry grasslands, open woodlands, sometimes on limestone.

Elevation

1000–1800 m. (3300–5900 ft.)

Distribution

se United States

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora)

[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 lachnostachys occurs in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas.

(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.

Parent taxa

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. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, 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

Name authority

(Michaux) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 12: 462. (1818)

A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 46. (1852)

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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