Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea frutescens

dwarf dalea, dwarf prairie-clover

black dalea, black prairie clover

Habit

Shrubs, highly branched, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

Stems

(0.5–)1–3.5 dm, nearly eglandular.

3–8(–12) dm, glandular-tuberculate distally.

Inflorescences

spikes, densely to loosely flowered, not involucrate, 7–13(–15) mm diam.;

axis not to partially visible, 0.5–4(–5) cm;

bracts deciduous at anthesis or later, 2.5–5.5 mm.

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

axis usually not visible, 0.2–2.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 2.2–3.4(–4.5) mm.

Peduncles

0–3.5 cm.

0.2–4.5(–5) cm.

Stamens

10, (6–)6.4–10 mm, filaments distinct to 1.1–2.3 mm, anthers 0.4–0.7 mm.

10, 6.8–8.2 mm, filaments distinct to 1.8–2.7 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm.

Corollas

clear yellow, purplish or brownish in age; papilionaceous;

banner (4–)4.4–5.5 mm, blade suborbiculate-cordate to reniform, 1.5–3.2 × (1.5–)2–3.6 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or distal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.1–3.7 × 0.9–1.8 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades 2.9–4.8 × 1.6–2.8 mm.

usually bicolored, rarely all white, banner whitish with yellowish eye, reddish in age, epistemonous petals vivid pink-purple; papilionaceous;

banner 5.1–6.2 mm, blade ovate-cordate, 3.2–4.2 × 3.4–4.6 mm, proximal lobes connate, forming obconic pit; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 4.3–5.2 × 2.7–3 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades (5–)5.3–6.5 × 3.3–3.9 mm.

Calyces

subsymmetric, 4.5–6.5(–7.5) mm, densely pilose;

tube 1.9–2.7 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose.

subsymmetric, 3.8–4.2 mm, glabrous;

tube 2.6–3.2(–3.5) mm, usually with 3–5(–7) glands between ribs, lobes broadly triangular to triangular-acuminate, unequal, abaxial longest.

Legumes

2.5–3 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.

2.8–3.5 mm, glabrous or distally pilosulous, dotted with small glands distally.

Seeds

1.8–2.2 mm.

1.7–2.3 mm.

Perennial

herbs, prostrate, diffusely spreading, or erect, silky-pilosulous.

Principal

leaves 1–2.5(–3) cm;

leaflets (3 or)5(or 7), blades obovate to olanceolate, 3–15 mm, surfaces inconspicuously glandular-punctate abaxially.

leaves 1–2 cm;

leaflets 9–19(or 21), blades obovate to broadly oblanceolate, 1.5–3.5(–5) mm.

= 14.

Dalea frutescens

Phenology

Flowering late summer–fall (spring).

Habitat

Rocky ground, desert grasslands, scrub, open juniper or oak woodlands, often on limestone.

Elevation

200–2300 m. (700–7500 ft.)

Distribution

sw United States; n Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Dalea nana shows extensive variability in a number of features, including habit, height, and bract shape.

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

Dalea frutescens is reported to be palatable for livestock and to decline under grazing pressure. In Texas, the species is widespread away from the coastal areas and generally from the Edwards Plateau westward to the trans-Pecos region.

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

Key

1. Bracts 2–4 mm wide; spikes loosely flowered, axis partially visible.	var. nana
1. Bracts 1.2–2 mm wide; spikes densely flowered, axis not visible.	var. carnescens

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. mollissima, D. multiflora, 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. 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

Subordinate taxa

D. nana var. carnescens, D. nana var. nana

Name authority

Torrey ex A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 31. (1849)

A. Gray: Boston J. Nat. Hist. 6: 175. (1850)

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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