Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea pinnata

Gattinger prairie clover, purpletassels

summer farewell

Stems

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

(3–)4.5–9(–10) dm, finely to coarsely glandular-tuberculate proximal to inflorescences.

Inflorescences

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.

spikes, densely flowered, appearing capitate, conspicuously involucrate, with several whorls of clearly differentiated sterile bracts proximal to spike, 6–13 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 0.6–1.2 cm;

bracts deciduous, basal involucral bracts persistent, becoming transitional to foliage leaves, 5–8 mm.

Peduncles

0.5–2.5 cm.

absent.

Stamens

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

5, 8.8–10.8 mm, filaments distinct to 4.2–5.5 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.

Corollas

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.

white;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner (5–)5.4–8.6 mm, blade lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, proximally cuneate (subhastate), 2.7–4.3 × 0.6–1.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 3–5 × 0.5–1.4 mm.

Calyces

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.

subsymmetric, slightly recessed opposite banner, 4.5–7.8(–8.2) mm, pilose;

tube (1.5–)1.7–2.3(–2.7) mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes linear, becoming plumose.

Legumes

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

2.5–3 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

2.2 mm.

1.7 mm.

Perennial

herbs, diffusely spreading, distally pilosulous on stems.

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

Principal

leaves 2–3.5 cm;

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

leaves 1–2.5 cm;

leaflets 3–11(or 13), blades linear or elliptic-oblanceolate, 5–11 mm.

= 14.

Dalea pinnata

Phenology

Flowering late spring–summer.

Habitat

Cedar glades and barrens, on rocky, calcareous soils.

Elevation

150–500 m. (500–1600 ft.)

Distribution

AL; AR; GA; MO; TN

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

se United States

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[BONAP county map]

Discussion

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.)

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Dalea pinnata, with its headlike spikes and conspicuous involucres, resembles a member of the Asteraceae. This resemblance is heightened after the petals drop because the slender, plumose calyx-lobes begin to resemble a pappus.

The varieties of Dalea pinnata have limited geographical overlap and var. pinnata is the most widespread.

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

Key

1. Leaflets 3.	var. trifoliata
1. Leaflets 5–11(or 13).	→ 2
2. Involucres: 6–9 mm wide; stems finely glandular-tuberculate proximal to spikes.	var. pinnata
2. Involucres 10–13 mm wide; stems coarsely glandular-tuberculate proximal to spikes.	var. adenopoda

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. 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

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. 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. pinnata var. adenopoda, D. pinnata var. pinnata, D. pinnata var. trifoliata

Synonyms

Kuhnistera gattingeri, Petalostemon gattingeri

Kuhnia pinnata, Kuhnistera pinnata, Petalostemon pinnatus

Name authority

(A. Heller) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 274. (1977)

(J. F. Gmelin) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 278. 1977 · Summer-farewell

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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