FNA: Dalea mollissima vs. Dalea sabinalis

	Dalea mollissima	Dalea sabinalis
	downy dalea, silky dalea, soft prairie clover	sabinal prairie clover
Stems	0.5–3.5 dm, glandular-tuberculate.	2.5–5(–6) dm, sparsely gland-dotted.
Inflorescences	racemes, spikelike, densely flowered, not involucrate, (12–)13–16(–17) mm diam.; axis not visible, 1.5–7.5 cm; bracts deciduous, 4.5–7 mm.	spikes, relatively loosely flowered, not involucrate, 6.5–8 mm diam.; axis usually partially visible at anthesis, 4–9 cm; bracts early deciduous, 3 mm.
Peduncles	0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.	6–12 cm.
Stamens	10, 4.3–5 mm, filaments distinct to 1 mm, anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.	5, 5–6 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6 mm.
Corollas	whitish, banner sometimes lilac-tinged, keel tip sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous; banner 2.8–3.7 mm, blade broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.6–)1.8–2.2 × (1.4–)1.7–2.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube; wings 1.8–2.1 × 1.1–1.3 mm; keel detaching from stamen column after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.6–2.9 × 1.5–1.8 mm.	pink to rose; not conventionally papilionaceous; banner 5.4 mm, blade deltate-obcordate, 2.5 × 3 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 3 × 1.5 mm.
Calyces	± symmetric, (5.8–)6.1–8.2 mm, pilose; tube (2.5–)2.7–3.3 mm, with (3 or)4–7 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.	asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 3–3.3 mm, glabrous, lobes sometimes pilosulous; tube 2.3–2.5 mm, greenish intervals between ribs eglandular, lobes subulate or adaxial pair triangular-ovate.
Legumes	2.4–3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.	3 mm, glabrate, margins ± short-ciliate distally, minutely gland-dotted.
Seeds	1.8–2.2 mm.	1.5–2.1 mm.
Annual	herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
Principal	leaves 2–4 cm; leaflets 9–15, blades cuneate-obovate, 3–9(–10) mm, margins undulate-crenate.	leaves 2–4 cm; leaflets 11–17, blades linear-oblanceolate, 7–15 mm.
Perennial		herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.
2n	= 16.

	Dalea mollissima	Dalea sabinalis
Phenology	Flowering early spring(–fall, winter).	Flowering spring.
Habitat	Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.	Open slopes, limestone soils.
Elevation	0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)	500–600 m. (1600–2000 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CA; NV; TX; Mexico (Baja California) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	TX [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Although Dalea mollissima normally blooms early in the spring, with adequate summer moisture it germinates in fall and winters over, so that individual plants can be large and may be mistaken as perennial. It resembles D. mollis, with which it overlaps in range, and may be collected with that species. Cuneate-obovate and undulate-margined leaves of D. mollissima resemble those of D. neomexicana, leading to further confusion among herbarium specimens. In California, D. mollissima is known only from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Dalea sabinalis was first found at the entrance to Sabinal Canyon in Bandera County, but collections are known also from nearby Uvalde and Val Verde counties; it has not been collected since the 1950s, and no extant populations are known. (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. mollis, 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. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii
Synonyms	Parosela mollissima	Petalostemon sabinalis
Name authority	(Rydberg) Munz: Aliso 4: 93. (1958)	(S. Watson) Shinners: Field & Lab. 17: 83. (1949)
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 sabinalis

downy dalea, silky dalea, soft prairie clover

sabinal prairie clover

Stems

0.5–3.5 dm, glandular-tuberculate.

2.5–5(–6) dm, sparsely gland-dotted.

Inflorescences

racemes, spikelike, densely flowered, not involucrate, (12–)13–16(–17) mm diam.;

axis not visible, 1.5–7.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 4.5–7 mm.

spikes, relatively loosely flowered, not involucrate, 6.5–8 mm diam.;

axis usually partially visible at anthesis, 4–9 cm;

bracts early deciduous, 3 mm.

Peduncles

0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.

6–12 cm.

Stamens

10, 4.3–5 mm, filaments distinct to 1 mm, anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.

5, 5–6 mm, filaments distinct to 2.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6 mm.

Corollas

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

banner 2.8–3.7 mm, blade broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.6–)1.8–2.2 × (1.4–)1.7–2.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 1.8–2.1 × 1.1–1.3 mm;

keel detaching from stamen column after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.6–2.9 × 1.5–1.8 mm.

pink to rose;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 5.4 mm, blade deltate-obcordate, 2.5 × 3 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 3 × 1.5 mm.

Calyces

± symmetric, (5.8–)6.1–8.2 mm, pilose;

tube (2.5–)2.7–3.3 mm, with (3 or)4–7 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.

asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 3–3.3 mm, glabrous, lobes sometimes pilosulous;

tube 2.3–2.5 mm, greenish intervals between ribs eglandular, lobes subulate or adaxial pair triangular-ovate.

Legumes

2.4–3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.

3 mm, glabrate, margins ± short-ciliate distally, minutely gland-dotted.

Seeds

1.8–2.2 mm.

1.5–2.1 mm.

Annual

herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.

Principal

leaves 2–4 cm;

leaflets 9–15, blades cuneate-obovate, 3–9(–10) mm, margins undulate-crenate.

leaves 2–4 cm;

leaflets 11–17, blades linear-oblanceolate, 7–15 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

= 16.

Dalea sabinalis

Phenology

Flowering early spring(–fall, winter).

Flowering spring.

Habitat

Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.

Open slopes, limestone soils.

Elevation

0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)

500–600 m. (1600–2000 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; CA; NV; TX; Mexico (Baja California)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Although Dalea mollissima normally blooms early in the spring, with adequate summer moisture it germinates in fall and winters over, so that individual plants can be large and may be mistaken as perennial. It resembles D. mollis, with which it overlaps in range, and may be collected with that species. Cuneate-obovate and undulate-margined leaves of D. mollissima resemble those of D. neomexicana, leading to further confusion among herbarium specimens. In California, D. mollissima is known only from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state.

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

Dalea sabinalis was first found at the entrance to Sabinal Canyon in Bandera County, but collections are known also from nearby Uvalde and Val Verde counties; it has not been collected since the 1950s, and no extant populations are known.

(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. mollis, 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. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii

Synonyms

Parosela mollissima

Petalostemon sabinalis

Name authority

(Rydberg) Munz: Aliso 4: 93. (1958)

(S. Watson) Shinners: Field & Lab. 17: 83. (1949)

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 mollissima

Dalea sabinalis

Dalea mollissima

Dalea sabinalis