Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea nana

Dalea lanata

dwarf dalea, dwarf prairie-clover

woolly prairie clover
Stems

(0.5–)1–3.5 dm, nearly eglandular.

(2.5–)3–7 dm, eglandular or sparsely glandular-punctate or -verruculose.
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, loosely flowered, not involucrate, 6–8 mm diam.;

axis visible, (1–)1.5–7.5(–9) cm;

bracts persistent, 2.6–4 mm.
Peduncles

0–3.5 cm.

0.4–4 cm.
Stamens

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

(5–)8–10 (sometimes only 5 functional), 6.5–8.5 mm, filaments distinct to 1.9–2.9 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 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.

red-violet to magenta or purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 2.8–4.3 mm, blade ovate-cordate, ± peltate, ± cucullate, 1.8–3.1 × 1.8–2.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube, blades 2–3.8 × 1.5–2.2 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, 3.3–4.5(–4.8) mm, villosulous throughout or on lobes;

tube 1.8–2.5 mm, with 1–4 glands between ribs, lobes triangular to lanceolate, ovate-acuminate, or -apiculate.
Legumes

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

2.5–3.1 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
Seeds

1.8–2.2 mm.

1.8–1.3 mm.
Perennial

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

herbs, prostrate, densely to sparsely pilosulous or glabrous.
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 1–3 cm;

leaflets 9–15, blades obovate to broadly oblanceolate, 3–10(–12) mm.

Dalea nana

Dalea lanata
Distribution
from USDA
sw United States; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
sw United States; n Mexico
[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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The geographical ranges of the two varieties show little overlap, with a separation at roughly the Pecos River.

(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
1. Calyces: tube and lobes villosulous.
var. lanata
1. Calyces: tube glabrous, lobes usually villosulous.
var. terminalis
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. 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. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, 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
D. lanata var. lanata, D. lanata var. terminalis
Name authority Torrey ex A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 31. (1849) Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 327. (1826)
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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