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

wedgeleaf prairie clover

silver prairie clover

Stems

(1.5–)2–6 dm, with scattered, small, raised glands distally.

Inflorescences

spikes, densely flowered, inconspicuously involucrate (lowest bracts not subtending flowers), 8.5–10.5(–11) mm diam.;

axis not visible, 1–4(–4.5) cm;

bracts persistent through anthesis, 1–2.5 mm.

Peduncles

(6–)10–35(–40) cm.

Stamens

5, sometimes with vestiges of alternate filaments, 3.8–4.6 mm, filaments distinct to 0.9–1.2 mm, anthers 0.5 mm.

Corollas

magenta-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 3.8–4.4 mm, blade ovate, 1.8 × 1.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached at or abaxial pair just proximal to filament separation, blades 1.6–2 × 0.5–0.9 mm.

Calyces

asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 3–4.2 mm, densely pilosulous;

tube 1.8–2.2 mm, with 4–7 blister glands between ribs, lobes ovate.

Legumes

2.4–2.8 mm, pilosulous distally and gland-dotted.

Seeds

1.6–1.9 mm.

Annual

herbs (sometimes overwintering), erect, ± glabrous proximal to inflorescence.

Principal

leaves (1–)1.5–3.5 cm;

leaflets (5–)11–17, blades oblong-oblanceolate or obovate, 4–9 mm.

Dalea emarginata

Dalea bicolor

Phenology Flowering fall–winter.
Habitat Beaches, dunes, sandy soils.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; TX; Mexico (Tamaulipas, Veracruz)
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
sw United States; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Dalea emarginata was first described under Petalostemon but was rejected from that genus by D. K. Wemple (1970) because of its annual habit. R. C. Barneby (1977c) considered it to be taxonomically isolated within Dalea. Adaxial surfaces of the leaflets often become a remarkable blue-green in drying, a trait observed also in several other daleas that were placed in Petalostemon and in the evidently distantly related yellow-petaled D. nana. In Texas, D. emarginata is known from the southern half of the state, east of the Big Bend region.

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

Varieties 5 (1 in the flora).

Only var. argyrea enters the flora area; the other varieties are confined to Mexico. Variety orcuttiana Barneby occurs in Baja California, var. naviculifolia (Hemsley) Barneby in Oaxaca, var. canescens (M. Martens & Galeotti) Barneby in Oaxaca and Puebla, and var. bicolor is widely distributed in central and northern Mexico.

(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. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
D. bicolor var. argyrea
Synonyms Petalostemon emarginatus
Name authority (Torrey & A. Gray) Shinners: Field & Lab. 17: 84. (1949) Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow: Hort. Berol. 2: plate 89. (1809): Enum. Pl., 787. (1809)
Web links