Dalea pulchra
Dalea albiflora
Santa Catalina prairie-clover
whiteflower prairie clover
5–10 dm, verruculose distally.
(2–)2.5–5(–7) dm, sparsely gland-dotted distally.
spikes, densely flowered, obviously involucrate (proximalmost several whorls of bracts subtending rudimentary buds), 11.5–16 mm diam.;
axis not visible, 0.4–0.7 cm;
bracts deciduous, interfloral ones sometimes held in place by crowded flowers, 2–6.5 mm.
spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, 7–10 mm diam.;
axis not visible, (1–)1.5–6(–7) cm;
bracts early deciduous to persistent, 1.5–3.2 mm.
0–1 cm.
0.5–8.5 cm.
10, 7.5–9 mm, filaments distinct to 1.8–2.8 mm, anthers 0.6–0.7 mm.
10, (5–)6–8 mm, filaments distinct to 3.5–4.5 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.
bicolored, banner cream, reddish in age, epistemonous petals pink-purple; papilionaceous;
banner 6–7.5 mm, blade ovate- or deltate-cordate, 2.8–4.2 × 3.4–4.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;
wings 4.1–5 × 2–2.6 mm;
keel connate valvately, blades 5.2–6.8 × 3–3.5 mm.
white;
not conventionally papilionaceous;
banner plane, (4.4–)5–6.4 mm, blade oblong-ovate, not peltate, proximally cordate to cuneate, (2.6–)3–4 × (2–)2.2–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached high on stamen tube, just proximal to separation of filaments, blades (2.7–)3.1–4.4 × (0.8–)1.3–1.9(–2.2) mm.
asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, (4.5–)4.8–7.2 mm, densely pilose;
tube 2.4–3.4 mm, hyaline intervals usually with row of inconspicuous blister glands between ribs (or eglandular), lobes triangular-aristate, spurred laterally near proximal end, unequal, abaxial longest.
asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, (2.8–)3.2–5.1 mm, pilosulous;
tube (1.9–)2–3(–3.3) mm, with 3–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular.
2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular.
2.2–2.9 mm, villosulous distally and gland-dotted.
1.5–1.8 mm.
1.6–2 mm.
leaves 0.5–1.5 cm;
leaflets 5 or 7(or 9), blades obovate to oblanceolate, 1.5–5 mm.
leaves 1–4 cm;
leaflets (13–)17–35(–41), blades oblanceolate to linear-elliptic, (1.5–)2–7(–10) mm.
herbs, erect, ± silky-villosulous.
= 14.
= 14, 24.
Dalea pulchra
Dalea albiflora
Plants of Dalea pulchra are attractive in flower. The spikes shatter quickly at anthesis; legumes and seeds are seldom seen.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Dalea albiflora is a complex and variable species that could use further morphological and cytological studies. While herbarium specimens cannot be sorted into varieties in any consistent way, in the field, delicate plants with slender, creeping rootstocks may grow with, and appear quite distinct from, plants with a stout caudex; such plants have been called D. ordiae. There are few chromosome counts available; preliminary study suggests that the former plants are tetraploid and the latter diploid (D. E. Ward et al. 1993).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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