FNA: Dalea mollis vs. Dalea lachnostachys

	Dalea mollis	Dalea lachnostachys
	hairy prairie clover, silky dalea	glandleaf prairie clover
Stems	1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.	1.5–4 dm, black-warty.
Inflorescences	racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.; axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.	racemes, spikelike, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, (15–)16–19(–20) mm diam.; axis usually not visible, 2.5–5 cm; bracts deciduous, 7–11 mm.
Peduncles	0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.	1–8(–11) cm.
Stamens	10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.	10, 6.6–8.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.3–2.9 mm, anthers (0.5–)0.6–0.8 mm.
Corollas	whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous; banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube; wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm; keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 mm.	dark blue or blue-violet; papilionaceous; banner 5.7–7.6 mm, blade shallowly cordate, (3.5–)3.8–4.8 × 2.2–3.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached well proximal to middle of stamen tube; wings 3.7–5 × 1.3–1.8 mm; keel connate by overlapping margins, blades (3.8–)4–4.7 × 1.7–2.2 mm.
Calyces	± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose; tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.	± symmetric, (4.3–)5.8–7.7 mm, pilose; tube 2.6–3.1 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate.
Legumes	2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.	(3–)3.3–4 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.
Seeds	1.8–2.2 mm.	1.8–2.4 mm.
Annual	herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
Principal	leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.	leaves 3–8(–9.5) cm; leaflets (5 or) 7 or 9 (or 11), blades obovate, (5–)7–17 mm, margins entire or ± crenulate, surfaces glandular-pustulate around margins abaxially.
Perennial		herbs, erect, ± pilosulous.
2n	= 16 [Mexico].	= 14.

	Dalea mollis	Dalea lachnostachys
Phenology	Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).	Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat	Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.	Open deserts, dry grasslands, open woodlands, sometimes on limestone.
Elevation	-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)	1000–1800 m. (3300–5900 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora) [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Dalea lachnostachys occurs in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas. (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. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, 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. 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
Name authority	Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)	A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 46. (1852)
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos 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 lachnostachys

hairy prairie clover, silky dalea

glandleaf prairie clover

Stems

1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.

1.5–4 dm, black-warty.

Inflorescences

racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.

racemes, spikelike, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, (15–)16–19(–20) mm diam.;

axis usually not visible, 2.5–5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 7–11 mm.

Peduncles

0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.

1–8(–11) cm.

Stamens

10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.

10, 6.6–8.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.3–2.9 mm, anthers (0.5–)0.6–0.8 mm.

Corollas

whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous;

banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm;

keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 mm.

dark blue or blue-violet; papilionaceous;

banner 5.7–7.6 mm, blade shallowly cordate, (3.5–)3.8–4.8 × 2.2–3.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached well proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 3.7–5 × 1.3–1.8 mm;

keel connate by overlapping margins, blades (3.8–)4–4.7 × 1.7–2.2 mm.

Calyces

± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose;

tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.

± symmetric, (4.3–)5.8–7.7 mm, pilose;

tube 2.6–3.1 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate.

Legumes

2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.

(3–)3.3–4 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.8–2.2 mm.

1.8–2.4 mm.

Annual

herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.

Principal

leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.

leaves 3–8(–9.5) cm;

leaflets (5 or) 7 or 9 (or 11), blades obovate, (5–)7–17 mm, margins entire or ± crenulate, surfaces glandular-pustulate around margins abaxially.

Perennial

herbs, erect, ± pilosulous.

= 16 [Mexico].

= 14.

Dalea lachnostachys

Phenology

Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).

Flowering late summer–fall.

Habitat

Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.

Open deserts, dry grasslands, open woodlands, sometimes on limestone.

Elevation

-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)

1000–1800 m. (3300–5900 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

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

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state.

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

Dalea lachnostachys occurs in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas.

(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. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, 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. 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

Name authority

Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)

A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 46. (1852)

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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Dalea mollis

Dalea lachnostachys

Dalea mollis

Dalea lachnostachys