Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea neomexicana

leafy prairie-clover

downy prairie-clover, New Mexico dalea

Stems

3–8 dm, eglandular.

0.3–3.5 dm, sparsely to densely glandular-pustulate.

Inflorescences

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 8–10 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 1.5–4.5 cm;

bracts persistent through anthesis, 4.8–5.4 mm.

racemes, spikelike, densely flowered, not involucrate, 1.3–1.6 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 1–6 cm;

bracts soon deciduous, 2–6 mm.

Peduncles

0–2 cm.

0.3–0.4 cm.

Stamens

5, 5.4–7.2 mm, filaments distinct to 2.7–3.7 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.

10, 5–6.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.4 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7(–1) mm.

Corollas

lavender-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 5.2–6 mm, blade ovate to suborbiculate, 2.1–2.5 × 2.6–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.7–3 × 0.8–1 mm.

bicolored, banner whitish, violet-tinged, other petals white or whitish; papilionaceous;

banner 4–5.6 mm, blades ± cordate, (2.8–)3–3.7 × 2.3–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.4–3.3 × 1.3–1.8 mm;

keel persistent, remaining attached to stamen column, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.4–3.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm.

Calyces

subsymmetric, 3.8–4.4 mm, glabrous or lobes sometimes pilosulous;

tube 2.4–2.7 mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-lanceolate or adaxial pair ovate-triangular.

± symmetric, 4.2–8 mm, densely pilose;

tube 2.1–3.1 mm, with 5–7(–9) glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate or plumose.

Legumes

2.5–3 mm, glabrous, dotted with small glands distally.

1.2–3 mm, pilose distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.8–2 mm.

1.7–2.4 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

herbs, matted or tufted, gray-silky pubescent.

Principal

leaves 3–5.5 cm;

leaflets 19–29(or 31), blades oblong-oblanceolate to -elliptic, 5–10 mm.

leaves 0.8–4.5 cm;

leaflets 7–15, blades cuneate-obcordate to obovate or elliptic-ovate, 2.5–8 mm, margins entire or undulate-crenate.

= 14.

Dalea neomexicana

Phenology

Flowering late summer–fall.

Habitat

Limestone glades, prairie remnants.

Elevation

100–300 m. (300–1000 ft.)

Distribution

AL; IL; TN

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

sw United States; n Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dalea foliosa is rare and in 1991 was designated federally as endangered. At that time, there were 14 known populations, only four of which had state or Nature Conservancy protection. The species is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

Dalea neomexicana somewhat resembles Marina calycosa in habit and overall appearance. It is sometimes confused also with D. mollis and D. mollissima, since the annual nature of those species is not always apparent in well-developed plants.

Variety megaladenia Barneby is known from northern Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.

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

Key

1. Leaflet blades cuneate-obcordate, margins usually undulate-crenulate.	var. neomexicana
1. Leaflet blades obovate or elliptic-ovate, margins usually entire.	var. longipila

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. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, 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. 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. neomexicana var. longipila, D. neomexicana var. neomexicana

Synonyms

Petalostemon foliosus

D. mollis var. neomexicana

Name authority

(A. Gray) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 245. (1977)

(A. Gray) Cory: Rhodora 38: 406. (1936)

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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