FNA: Dalea grayi vs. Dalea formosa

	Dalea grayi	Dalea formosa
	Gray's prairie-clover	feather-plume, indigobush
Habit		Shrubs, relatively erect, often gnarled, glabrous or glabrate proximal to inflorescences.
Stems	(3–)3.5–7(–9) dm, eglandular or sparsely gland-dotted.	1.5–9 dm, eglandular or sparsely glandular-tuberculate distally.
Inflorescences	spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 7–9 mm diam.; axis not visible, (0.4–)0.7–5.5(–7) cm; bracts persistent, (2.2–)2.5–4.5 mm.	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.
Peduncles	0.5–5(–10) cm.	0–1(–1.8) cm.
Stamens	10, 5.5–7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.7–4 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.	10, 9–12.5 mm, filaments distinct to 2.4–4.5 mm, anthers 0.8–1.2 mm.
Corollas	white or whitish, banner reddish or purplish in age; not conventionally papilionaceous; banner plane, 4–5.7 mm, blade triangular-cordate to rhombic-ovate, not peltate, 1.6–2.5 × 2–2.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached high on stamen tube, just proximal to separation of filaments, blades 2.2–3.1 × 0.8–1.4 mm.	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.
Calyces	subsymmetric, 3.6–4.8(–5.2) mm, silky-pilosulous; tube 2–2.7 mm, with 3–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-acuminate to -aristate.	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.
Legumes	2.2–2.5 mm, villosulous distally and dotted with small glands.	3–3.5 mm, pilosulous and gland-dotted distally.
Seeds	1.6 mm.	2.8–3 mm.
Perennial	herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.
Principal	leaves 1–5 cm; leaflets (11–)17–43, blades elliptic-oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 1–4.5(–5.5) mm.	leaves 0.3–1.1 cm; leaflets (5 or)7–13(or 15), blades obovate-cuneate to oblanceolate, 1–6(–7) mm.
2n	= 14.	= 14, 21, 42.

	Dalea grayi	Dalea formosa
Phenology	Flowering fall (spring–summer).	Flowering spring (fall).
Habitat	Rocky slopes, washes, canyons, open pine or oak woodlands.	Rocky desert, grasslands, open woodlands.
Elevation	700–2200 m. (2300–7200 ft.)	500–2100 m. (1600–6900 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	AZ; CO; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Dalea grayi occurs in southeastern Arizona as far northwest as Gila County and far southwestern New Mexico (Grant and Hidalgo counties). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	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.)
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. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, 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. 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
Synonyms	Parosela grayi
Name authority	(Vail) L. O. Williams: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 23: 450. (1936)	Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 177. (1827)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Dalea formosa

Gray's prairie-clover

feather-plume, indigobush

Habit

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

Stems

(3–)3.5–7(–9) dm, eglandular or sparsely gland-dotted.

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

Inflorescences

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 7–9 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (0.4–)0.7–5.5(–7) cm;

bracts persistent, (2.2–)2.5–4.5 mm.

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.

Peduncles

0.5–5(–10) cm.

0–1(–1.8) cm.

Stamens

10, 5.5–7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.7–4 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.

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

Corollas

white or whitish, banner reddish or purplish in age;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner plane, 4–5.7 mm, blade triangular-cordate to rhombic-ovate, not peltate, 1.6–2.5 × 2–2.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached high on stamen tube, just proximal to separation of filaments, blades 2.2–3.1 × 0.8–1.4 mm.

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.

Calyces

subsymmetric, 3.6–4.8(–5.2) mm, silky-pilosulous;

tube 2–2.7 mm, with 3–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-acuminate to -aristate.

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.

Legumes

2.2–2.5 mm, villosulous distally and dotted with small glands.

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

Seeds

1.6 mm.

2.8–3 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

Principal

leaves 1–5 cm;

leaflets (11–)17–43, blades elliptic-oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 1–4.5(–5.5) mm.

leaves 0.3–1.1 cm;

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

= 14.

= 14, 21, 42.

Dalea grayi

Dalea formosa

Phenology

Flowering fall (spring–summer).

Flowering spring (fall).

Habitat

Rocky slopes, washes, canyons, open pine or oak woodlands.

Rocky desert, grasslands, open woodlands.

Elevation

700–2200 m. (2300–7200 ft.)

500–2100 m. (1600–6900 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

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

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dalea grayi occurs in southeastern Arizona as far northwest as Gila County and far southwestern New Mexico (Grant and Hidalgo counties).

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

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.)

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. gattingeri, 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. 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

Synonyms

Parosela grayi

Name authority

(Vail) L. O. Williams: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 23: 450. (1936)

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

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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Flora of North America species comparison

Dalea grayi

Dalea formosa

Dalea grayi

Dalea formosa