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slimspike prairie clover

prairie-clover

Habit Herbs, annual or perennial, shrubs, or subshrubs, usually unarmed, rarely thorns present, usually glandular nearly throughout, rarely sparsely so.
Stems

erect, spreading, ascending, decumbent, prostrate, matted, or tufted, branched, glandular or eglandular, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes spirally twisted.

Leaves

alternate, usually odd-pinnate, rarely 3-foliolate;

stipules present, caducous or persistent, deltate, ovate, or subulate;

petiolate;

leaflets 3–43(–49), stipels absent, blades with 2 adaxial intrapetiolular glands and 2 abaxial postpetiolular glands often present between opposing leaflets, not lineolate, margins usually entire, rarely undulate-crenate or crenulate, surfaces usually glandular-punctate abaxially, often pubescent, sometimes glabrous.

Leaflets

13–21(–25), blades 5–14 mm.

Inflorescences

10–500+-flowered, loosely to densely flowered, terminal, leaf-opposed, or axillary, usually spikes (sometimes headlike), rarely racemes;

bracts present, caducous or persistent;

bracteoles absent or glandlike, spiculiform.

Spike

axis not pilosulous.

Flowers

papilionaceous or not conventionally so (abaxial petals not connate or forming a keel);

calyx campanulate, lobes 5, unequal or ± equal;

ribs 10, usually anastomosing distally, forming closed arches, intervals between ribs usually glandular, rarely eglandular;

petals (3 or)5, corollas white, pale to dark blue, lavender, pink, rose, blue-violet, magenta-purple, or bicolored;

banner reflexed, sometimes as much as 90°, claw slender, shorter to longer than blade;

other petals epistemonous, attached to stamen tube at varying levels, petals usually similar, sometimes differentiated into wings and keel;

wings, if differentiated, not adnate to keel petals;

keel, if differentiated, distinct, connate by overlapping margins, or valvately coherent to form conventional keel, blunt-tipped;

stamens usually 5, 9, or 10, rarely 4 or 6–8, monadelphous, ± uniform, rarely only 3–6 fertile;

anthers dorsifixed;

style glabrous or pilosulous;

ovules 2.

Calyces

glabrous or glabrate.

Fruits

legumes, sessile, mostly tan, usually ± compressed, obliquely ovoid or semiorbicular, usually indehiscent, sometimes tardily dehiscent, pericarp often membranaceous proximally, thickened distally, usually gland-dotted, usually glabrous or pilosulous, sometimes glabrate, villosulous, pilose, or glabrescent.

Seed

1, brownish, tan, chestnut, or greenish, somewhat compressed, asymmetrically reniform.

x

= 7, 8.

2n

= 14.

Dalea phleoides var. phleoides

Dalea

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Sandy soils, oak and pine woodlands, roadsides.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; OK; TX
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In Texas, var. phleoides is known from the eastern portion of the state.

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

Species ca. 170 (58 in the flora).

Dalea is found from south-central Canada throughout much of the United States; it does not occur west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains. This treatment follows closely the treatment by R. C. Barneby (1977c). Barneby placed the 58 species in the flora area in three subgenera and nine sections: subg. Theodora Barneby was divided into two sections, Theodora (spp. 1–3) and Lachnostachyae (Rydberg) Barneby (spp. 4); subg. Dalea contained three sections, Thornbera (Rydberg) Barneby (spp. 5 and 6), Dalea (spp. 7–14), and Kuhnistera (Lamarck) Barneby (spp. 15–37); and subg. Parosela (Cavanilles) Barneby included three sections, sect. Parosela (Cavanilles) Barneby (spp. 39–49), sect. Psoropogon Barneby (spp. 50–52), and sect. Cylipogon (Rafinesque) Barneby (spp. 53–58).

Species that R. C. Barneby (1977c) assigned to sect. Kuhnistera had been monographed by D. K. Wemple (1970) as the genus Petalostemon. Barneby followed Wemple closely in the delimitation of taxa, although he recognized some of the species treated by Wemple only at the varietal level and felt unable to continue recognition of Petalostemon as a separate genus. The characteristics that define Petalostemon all occur separately or in combination in other species of Dalea. If Petalostemon is recognized, some species, such as D. obovata and several species related to D. exigua, become controversial in their placement.

Dalea shares with Marina a unique placement of the inner two pairs of petals, which have migrated out on a tubular disc and appear to perch on the stamen tubes. The two genera are separated morphologically by well-correlated features including ovule number (two in Dalea, one in Marina, both developing one seed), the basic chromosome number (seven in Dalea, ten in Marina), the structure of the trichomes (flexuous, spirally twisted when long and changing color in drying in Dalea, stiff, short, and unchanged by drying in Marina), the presence (in Marina) or absence (in Dalea) of sinuous lines (lineoles) on the leaflets, and the calyx rib architecture (anastomosing in the lobes in Dalea but not in Marina).

In the key and descriptions, leaflet numbers are for leaflets of principal leaves, diameters of inflorescences exclude corollas, indument of calyx is external unless otherwise indicated, and glands on calyx tubes “between ribs” refers to pairs of adjacent ribs.

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

Key
1. Corollas papilionaceous (2 abaxial petals connate into a conventional keel enclosing stamens).
→ 2
2. Keel petals connate by overlapping margins; inflorescences densely flowered racemes.
→ 3
3. Banners 5.7–7.6 mm; corollas dark blue or blue-violet.
D. lachnostachys
3. Banners 2.8–5.6 mm; corollas whitish, often lilac- or violet-tinged.
→ 4
4. Perennial herbs; keel petals persistent, remaining attached to stamen column.
D. neomexicana
4. Annual herbs, sometimes appearing perennial; keel petals detaching from stamen column after anthesis.
→ 5
5. Calyx tube 1.6–2.5 mm, lobes shorter than exserted keel; leaflet blade margins ± entire to obscurely undulate.
D. mollis
5. Calyx tube 2.5–3.3 mm, lobes exceeding keel; leaflet blade margins undulate-crenate.
D. mollissima
2. Keel petals connate valvately; inflorescences loosely or densely flowered spikes.
→ 6
6. Corollas opening yellow, sometimes brownish, purplish, pinkish, reddish, or orangish in age.
→ 7
7. Annual herbs; leaves and stems glabrous.
D. brachystachys
7. Perennial herbs; leaves and stems pubescent.
→ 8
8. Leaflets usually 5.
→ 9
9. Bracts 6–12 mm; calyces (8.5–)9–12.3 mm.
D. wrightii
9. Bracts 2.5–5.5 mm; calyces 4.5–7.4(–7.5) mm.
→ 10
10. Banners (4–)4.4–5.5 mm; keel blades 2.9–4.8 mm; spikes 7–13(–15) mm diam.
D. nana
10. Banners 6.3–8.6 mm; keel blades (4.7–)5–7 mm; spike (12–)14–21 mm diam.
D. aurea
8. Leaflets usually 3.
→ 11
11. Keel blades 3.2–4 mm; spikes densely flowered; axis not visible at anthesis.
D. laniceps
11. Keel blades 5.2–6.4 mm; spikes densely to loosely flowered; axis some­times partially visible at anthesis.
→ 12
12. Calyces (5.1–)5.5–7.8 mm; leaflet blades linear-elliptic to linear; c, nc Texas.
D. hallii
12. Calyces (8.3–)8.5–12(–13.3) mm; leaflet blades obovate to broadly oblanceolate; w Texas to Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma.
D. jamesii
6. Corollas not predominantly yellow, sometimes banner yellowish or with yellow center.
→ 13
13. Annual herbs; leaflets 3 or 5, blades linear-filiform.
D. filiformis
13. Perennial herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs; leaflets usually 5–35, rarely 3 (in D. enneandra, D. lasiathera, and D. pogonathera), blades usually obovate to oblanceolate, oblong to elliptic, or ovate, rarely linear-oblanceolate.
→ 14
14. Corollas, including banner, opening white to cream or greenish, sometimes becoming brownish or maroon in age.
→ 15
15. Perennial herbs; stamens 9; spikes remotely flowered, axes (1–)2.5–12 cm.
D. enneandra
15. Shrubs or subshrubs; stamens 10; spikes loosely flowered (but flowers not remote), axes 0.2–2(–3) cm.
→ 16
16. Leaflets 15–23 (or 25); stamens (6.2–)6.5–8.5 mm; calyx lobes triangular- aristate and abaxial not uncinate.
D. carthagenensis
16. Leaflets 7–11; stamens 4.3–5.5 mm; calyx lobes triangular-aristate and abaxial becoming uncinate.
D. scandens
14. Corollas usually opening pink to magenta or purple to violet, rarely all white (in D. frutescens), banner often white to yellowish or marked with a pale, yellowish, or greenish center, sometimes reddish in age.
→ 17
17. Corollas not opening bicolored, banner sometimes with yellowish or greenish center; herbs.
→ 18
18. Calyx tube 2.6–3.4 mm, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose; leaflets (3 or)5 or 7.
D. pogonathera
18. Calyx tube 3.3–3.9 mm, lobes triangular-subulate, pilosulous, not plumose; leaflets (3–)7–11.
D. lasiathera
17. Corollas usually opening bicolored, rarely white (in D. frutescens), banner whitish to yellowish, epistemonous petals pink, rose, magenta, purple, or violet; shrubs or subshrubs.
→ 19
19. Calyces glabrous.
D. frutescens
19. Calyces sparsely to densely pubescent.
→ 20
20. Calyx tube with inconspicuous glands (0–2), when present, then minute in intervals between calyx ribs), lobes each with several elon­gated, pricklelike glands.
D. tentaculoides
20. Calyx tube with obvious blister glands between ribs, lobes without gland spurs, or with a few inconspicuous blister glands.
→ 21
21. Subshrubs, mat-forming, stems procumbent or arching (often rooting along stems); bracts persistent.
D. greggii
21. Shrubs or subshrubs, not mat-forming, stems relatively erect; bracts early or tardily deciduous or persistent.
→ 22
22. Calyces (7.5–)8.5–13.5(–16.2) mm.
D. formosa
22. Calyces (3.5–)3.8–7.2 mm.
→ 23
23. Spikes involucrate; leaflets 5 or 7(or 9).
D. pulchra
23. Spikes not involucrate; leaflets (5 or)7–19.
→ 24
24. Stems prominently tuberculate or verrucose distally; calyx tube length greater than 1/2 of overall calyx; sc New Mexico to w Texas.
D. bicolor
24. Stems eglandular to glandular-verruculose distally; calyx tube length 1/2 or less of overall calyx; se Arizona to sw New Mexico.
D. versicolor
1. Corollas not conventionally papilionaceous (2 abaxial petals usually distinct, rarely weakly adherent, not connate into a conventional keel enclosing stamens).
→ 25
25. Annual herbs.
→ 26
26. Bracts persistent through anthesis; fertile stamens 3–6.
→ 27
27. Calyx tube with 4–7 blister glands between ribs; spikes 8.5–10.5(–11) mm diam.; leaflets (5–)11–17.
D. emarginata
27. Calyx tube with 0 or 1 (or 2) blister glands between ribs; spikes 5–8(–9) mm diam.; leaflets 3–7 (or 9).
→ 28
28. Calyx tube eglandular; leaflets usually 3 or 5.
D. exigua
28. Calyx tube with 1 (or 2) blister glands between ribs; leaflets usually 5 or 7.
D. polygonoides
26. Bracts deciduous by anthesis; fertile stamens 7–10.
→ 29
29. Stamens (7.5–)8–11 mm; blades of epistemonous petals (2–)3–5 mm; rare in extreme se Arizona.
D. exserta
29. Stamens 4.2–6.8 mm; blades of epistemonous petals 1.3–2.4(–2.6) mm; widespread or restricted to ec Arizona, adjacent New Mexico.
→ 30
30. Calyx pilose or pilosulous, tube (1.7–)2–2.5(–2.8) mm; epistemonous petals 4; widespread.
D. leporina
30. Calyx glabrous, except lobes, tube (2.4–)2.6–3.4(–4.5) mm; epistemonous petals 2; restricted to a small region of ec Arizona, adjacent New Mexico.
D. urceolata
25. Perrenial herbs (sometimes short-lived), subshrubs, or shrubs.
→ 31
31. Stamens (8–)10.
→ 32
32. Banners: blade ± peltate, ± cucullate; stamens 8–10 (sometimes only 5 func­tional); herbs prostrate, always growing in sand.
D. lanata
32. Banners plane, blade not peltate; stamens 10; herbs erect, often growing on rocky hillsides, canyons, woodlands, not always in sand.
→ 33
33. Herbs silky-villosulous or pilosulous to puberulent throughout (especially near base).
→ 34
34. Calyces pilosulous; epistemonous petals attached near tip of stamen tube; corollas white.
D. albiflora
34. Calyces glabrate or pubescent distally; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube; corollas white or epistemonous petals blue or bluish.
D. lumholtzii
33. Herbs glabrous proximal to inflorescences.
→ 35
35. Corollas white or whitish, banner reddish or purplish in age; spikes 7–9 mm diam.
D. grayi
35. Corollas bright purple or banner whitish (lilac-tinged); spikes 8–12 mm diam.
D. pringlei
31. Stamens 5.
→ 36
36. Spikes (12–)14–20 mm diam.; corollas white.
D. obovata
36. Spikes mostly 5.5–14(–16) mm diam.; corollas magenta-, rose-, lavender-, or lilac-purple, rose-lilac, lavender, pink, pinkish tan, or white (if spikes greater than 14 mm diam., corollas rose-lilac or rose-purple).
→ 37
37. Stamens 3.8–4.6 mm, filaments distinct to 0.9–1.2 mm.
D. emarginata
37. Stamens 5–12(–12.7) mm, filaments distinct to 2.2–7.6(–8.7) mm.
→ 38
38. Spikes conspicuously involucrate (subtended by sterile bracts, some transitional to leaves proximally), appearing capitate; calyx tube eglandular, pilose.
D. pinnata
38. Spikes not involucrate or not obviously so (when involucrate, bracts not transitional to leaves proximally), not appearing capitate; calyx tube glandular or eglandular, glabrous or pubescent.
→ 39
39. Leaflets (7 or) 9–41(–49).
→ 40
40. Corollas white; calyx tube with 1–7 blister glands between ribs.
→ 41
41. Spike axis (1.5–)2.5–9(–13) cm; leaflets 13–41(–49).
D. phleoides
41. Spikes appearing nearly globose, axis 0.4–1(–1.2) cm; leaflets (7 or)9 or 11(or 13).
D. multiflora
40. Corollas usually pink, rose, rose-purple, lavender or lavender-purple, rarely white; calyx tube eglandular between ribs.
→ 42
42. Calyx tube densely pilosulous, including lobes.
D. villosa
42. Calyx tube glabrous, lobes sometimes pilosulous.
→ 43
43. Spike axis partially visible at anthesis, 4–9 cm; leaflets 11–17; rare in Bandera, Uvalde, and Val Verde counties, Texas.
D. sabinalis
43. Spike axis not visible at anthesis, 1.5–4.5 cm; leaflets 19–29(or 31); rare in Alabama, Illinois, Tennessee.
D. foliosa
39. Leaflets 3–9.
→ 44
44. Calyx tube without blister glands between ribs; leaflet blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, linear-oblong, or linear-elliptic.
→ 45
45. Spikes densely flowered, axis not visible; bracts persistent through anthesis.
→ 46
46. Calyces (4.4–)5–6.2 mm, pilosulous, with lines of antrorse, subappressed hairs proximal to sinuses and on margins of lobes.
D. compacta
46. Calyces 3–5(–5.2) mm, pubescence not restricted to lines, or, if partly restricted, then hairs near base of calyx retrorse.
→ 47
47. Calyces with antrorse hairs at base.
D. purpurea
47. Calyces with retrorse or tangled hairs at base.
→ 48
48. Calyx base with retrorse hairs; legumes glabrous or apically ± pilosulous; c, n Texas, adjacent Oklahoma.
D. tenuis
48. Calyx base with intertangled hairs; legumes tomentulose on distal 2/3; Bibb County, Alabama.
D. cahaba
45. Spikes loosely to moderately densely flowered, axis partially visible, at least at anthesis; bracts usually deciduous by anthesis, sometimes held between calyces (proximals persistent in D. gattingeri).
→ 49
49. Leaflets 7 or 9; calyx with ribs leading to sinuses stronger than those leading to lobes so that calyx tube bluntly 5-angled in cross section.
D. reverchonii
49. Leaflets usually 3–7, rarely 9 (in D. gattingeri); calyx prominently to indistinctly 10-ribbed, tube ± circular in cross section.
→ 50
50. Leaflets 5 or 7 (or 9); stems proximally glabrous or glabrescent, distally usually sparsely pilosulous; Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee.
D. gattingeri
50. Leaflets 3 or 5; stems pilosulous proximally, distally usually glabrescent; Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
D. tenuifolia
44. Calyx tube usually with 1–several blister glands between ribs; leaflet blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, obovate, oblong-obovate, obovate-cuneate, elliptic, or linear, sometimes glands absent or inconspicuous, then leaflet blades elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, or oblong-elliptic.
→ 51
51. Calyx usually pilose to pilosulous, sometimes glabrous (in D. searlsiae).
→ 52
52. Spikes 13–16 mm diam.
D. ornata
52. Spikes 6–12(–13) mm diam.
→ 53
53. Calyces subsymmetric, not recessed opposite banner; spike axis (1–).
→ 1
1. 5–5.5(–7.5) cm.
D. candida
53. Calyces asymmetric, slightly to deeply recessed opposite banner; spike axis (1–)2–18 cm (when calyx slightly recessed, then spike axis, at least those terminating main stems, 9–18 cm).
→ 54
54. Calyces slightly recessed opposite banners; axis of longest terminal spikes often 9–18 cm.
D. cylindriceps
54. Calyces deeply recessed opposite banners; axis of spikes mostly 2–9 cm.
→ 55
55. Corollas white, ochroleucous when dry; spike axis not visible at anthesis; ne, e Arizona, s, c Utah.
D. flavescens
55. Corollas usually rose-purple, rarely white; spike axis partially visible at anthesis; nw Arizona, w California, Nevada, w Utah.
D. searlsiae
51. Calyx glabrous, sometimes lobes ciliolate, or, sometimes, pilosulous (in D. candida).
→ 56
56. Calyx with 3+ blister glands between ribs and glands scattered or in more than 1 row in spaces between adaxial ribs.
→ 57
57. Corollas pale pink to rose-purple; spike axis 1.5–9(–13) cm, usually partially visible at anthesis; from near Albuquerque and Belen, New Mexico.
D. scariosa
57. Corollas white; spike axis 0.3–1.4 cm, not visible at anthesis; from a small region in w Texas.
D. bartonii
56. Calyx usually with (0 or) 1–4 blister glands between ribs.
→ 58
58. Calyx not deeply recessed opposite banner (opening not oblique); corollas white.
→ 59
59. Leaflets 5–9; spikes cylindric, axis (1–)1.5–5.5(–7.5) cm.
D. candida
59. Leaflets (7 or)9 or 11(or 13); spikes nearly globose, axis 0.4–1(–1.2) cm.
D. multiflora
58. Calyx deeply recessed opposite banner (opening oblique); corollas pink, lavender, rose-purple, pinkish tan, or white.
→ 60
60. Leaflet blades linear, involute.
D. feayi
60. Leaflet blades elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, flat or folded.
→ 61
61. Spikes (8–)9–11 mm diam., axis partially visible at anthesis, (1.5–)2–9(–14) cm; nw Arizona, w California, Nevada to w Utah.
D. searlsiae
61. Spikes 7–10 mm diam., axis not visible at anthesis, 0.5–3(–3.5) cm; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, w Louisiana to Mississippi.
D. carnea
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11. Author: David M. Sutherland.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea > Dalea phleoides Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae
Sibling taxa
D. phleoides var. microphylla
Subordinate 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. 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 glandulosus Kuhnistera, Parosela, Petalostemon, Thornbera
Name authority unknown Linnaeus: Opera Var., 244. (1758) — name conserved
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