Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea villosa

feather-plume, indigobush

hairy prairieclover, silky prairie clover

Habit

Shrubs, relatively erect, often gnarled, glabrous or glabrate proximal to inflorescences.

Stems

1.5–9 dm, eglandular or sparsely glandular-tuberculate distally.

2.5–8(–9) dm, ± eglandular.

Inflorescences

spikes, loosely flowered, 2–9-flowered, not involucrate, 8 mm diam.;

axis usually visible, 0.2–0.8(–3.5) cm;

bracts early deciduous or ± persistent, brown, 2–6 mm, glandular.

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

axis eventually visible, 3–12(–14) cm;

bracts deciduous, (1.5–)2–5.5 mm.

Peduncles

0–1(–1.8) cm.

0–1(–2.5) cm.

Stamens

10, 9–12.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.4–4.5 mm, anthers 0.8–1.2 mm.

5, (5–)5.4–7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–4.4 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9(–1) mm.

Corollas

bicolored, banner cream to pale yellow, reddish in age, epistemonous petals rose- or magenta-purple; papilionaceous;

banner (6.6–)7–8.8 mm, blade deltate-obcordate, (4–)4.3–5.5 × (3.4–)4–6.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 5.2–7.4 × 2.4–3.7 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades (6–)6.3–7.6 × 3.2–4.5 mm.

usually rose-purple to pale pink or lavender, rarely white;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 4.4–5.6 mm, blade ovate to elliptic, 2.3–3 × 2–2.6 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.1–3.8 × 0.9–1.3 mm.

Calyces

asymmetric, not recessed opposite banner, opening oblique, (7.5–)8.5–13.5(–16.2) mm, long-pilose;

tube (3–)3.5–5(–5.2) mm, with 3 or 4(or 5) prominent blister glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate-acuminate, becoming aristate, plumose, with pointed projecting glands laterally.

asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 2.8–3.8 mm, densely pilosulous;

tube 1.9–2.7 mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate or subulate or adaxial pair triangular to ovate.

Legumes

3–3.5 mm, pilosulous and gland-dotted distally.

2.5–3.2 mm, distally villosulous, ± eglandular.

Seeds

2.8–3 mm.

2–2.4 mm.

Principal

leaves 0.3–1.1 cm;

leaflets (5 or)7–13(or 15), blades obovate-cuneate to oblanceolate, 1–6(–7) mm.

leaves 2–4(–4.5) cm;

leaflets (9 or) 11–17(–21), blades elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, 8.5–15 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect or ascending to spreading, sometimes trailing, sparsely pubescent or densely villosulous.

= 14, 21, 42.

Dalea villosa

Phenology

Flowering spring (fall).

Habitat

Rocky desert, grasslands, open woodlands.

Elevation

500–2100 m. (1600–6900 ft.)

Distribution

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

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

North America

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

As R. C. Barneby (1977c) pointed out, Dalea formosa is distinctive in appearance. It is complex cytologically, with diploid plants known from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico; tetraploid plants from Texas and Mexico; and hexaploid plants from New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico (R. Spellenberg 1981). In Texas, the species is known from widespread areas of the western half of the state.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key

1. Stems usually 2.5–5 dm, rarely longer, densely villosulous; leaflet blades 8.5–10(–11) mm, surfaces densely villosulous.	var. villosa
1. Stems 5–8(–9) dm, sparsely pubescent; leaflet blades 10–15 mm, surfaces sparsely pubescent.	var. grisea

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. foliosa, 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. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. wrightii

Subordinate taxa

D. villosa var. grisea, D. villosa var. villosa

Synonyms

Petalostemon villosus

Name authority

Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 177. (1827)

(Nuttall) Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 326. (1826)

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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