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Gregg's dalea, Gregg's prairie clover

Chihuahuan prairie clover

Habit Subshrubs, horizontal-spreading, mat-forming, at least young foliage silky-pilosulous.
Stems

procumbent or arching, often rooting along stems, 3–5(–20+) dm, eglandular or glandular-verruculose distally.

1–4(–4.5) dm, eglandular or weakly gland-dotted.

Inflorescences

spikes, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, 8–11 mm diam.;

axis usually not visible, 0.4–3(–5.5) cm;

bracts persistent, 2–4 mm.

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 5–8 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (0.8–)1.3–4.5(–6) cm;

bracts persistent through anthesis, 2.5–3.3 mm.

Peduncles

0–4(–6) cm.

(2.5–)4–16 cm.

Stamens

10, 5.5–7.5 mm, filaments distinct to 1.7–2.4 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.

4–7, 3–6 fertile, 3.2–4 mm, filaments distinct to 1 mm, anthers 0.2–0.3 mm.

Corollas

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

banner 4.4–6.2 mm, blade deltate-cordate, 2.6–3.5 × 3.2–4.3 mm, proximal lobes connate, forming obconic pit; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 3.2–4.6 × 1.6–2.4 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades 4–4.8(–5.3) × 2.2–3.3 mm.

lavender or pink-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 3.4–4.2 mm, blade ovate, 1.3–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached high on stamen tube, just proximal to separation of filaments, blades 1.7–2.3 × 0.9–1.1 mm.

Calyces

subsymmetric, (4–)4.2–6 mm, silky-pilosulous;

tube (2–)2.2–2.8(–3) mm, usually with 3–8(–10) blister glands between ribs (scattered or in a row), lobes triangular-acuminate to lanceolate or aristate, unequal, abaxial longest.

asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 3.8–4.3 mm, silky-pilose;

tube 1.9–2.2 mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate.

Legumes

2.1–2.8 mm, pilosulous and gland-dotted distally.

2.5 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.6–2 mm.

1.9–2.3 mm.

Principal

leaves 0.6–2.5(–3) cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades obovate to oblanceolate, 2–7(–9) mm.

leaves 1.5–5.5 cm;

leaflets 3 or 5, blades linear-oblanceolate to -elliptic, (0.5–)1–3.7(–4) cm.

Annual

herbs, erect, glabrate.

2n

= 14 (Mexico).

Dalea greggii

Dalea exigua

Phenology Flowering spring, fall, (year-round). Flowering fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes, deserts, open woodlands, limestone soils. Grassy slopes, roadsides, open oak, juniper, or pine woodlands.
Elevation 600–1400 m. (2000–4600 ft.) 1500–2400 m. (4900–7900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, south as far as Oaxaca)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Dalea greggii is cultivated as a ground cover and for erosion control in xeriscaping. In Texas, the species is known from the eastern trans-Pecos and Big Bend regions.

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

Dalea exigua occurs in southeastern Arizona (Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties) and adjacent southwestern New Mexico. A disjunct population occurs in McKinley County, New 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. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, 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. 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
Synonyms Petalostemon exilis
Name authority A. Gray: Pl. Nov. Thurb., 314. (1854) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 200. (1977)
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