Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea pulchra

Dalea gattingeri

Santa Catalina prairie-clover

Gattinger prairie clover, purpletassels
Habit Shrubs, relatively erect, stiffly-branching, silky- or velvety-pubescent distally.
Stems

5–10 dm, verruculose distally.

1.5–3.5 dm, usually glabrous or glabrescent at base, pilosulous distally, eglandular or with scattered small glands.
Inflorescences

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, moderately densely flowered, not involucrate, (8–)9–10 mm diam.;

axis becoming partially visible, 1.5–7.5 cm;

bracts early deciduous or proximals persistent, interfloral ones held in place by crowded flowers, 3–5(–6) mm.
Peduncles

0–1 cm.

0.5–2.5 cm.
Stamens

10, 7.5–9 mm, filaments distinct to 1.8–2.8 mm, anthers 0.6–0.7 mm.

5, 6.3–7.8 mm, filaments distinct to 3.8–5.4 mm, anthers 0.8–1 mm.
Corollas

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.

rose-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 5.2–6.2 mm, blade ovate, 2.1–2.6 × (1.6–)2–2.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.6–3.2 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
Calyces

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.

subsymmetric, 4–5 mm, pilose-tomentulose;

tube 2–2.5(–2.7) mm, prominently to indistinctly 10-ribbed, ± circular in cross section, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate or adaxial pair ovate.
Legumes

2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular.

2.8–3.3 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.
Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm.

2.2 mm.
Principal

leaves 0.5–1.5 cm;

leaflets 5 or 7(or 9), blades obovate to oblanceolate, 1.5–5 mm.

leaves 2–3.5 cm;

leaflets 5 or 7(or 9), blades linear to linear-oblanceolate or linear-elliptic, 8–18 mm.
Perennial

herbs, diffusely spreading, distally pilosulous on stems.
2n

= 14.

= 14.

Dalea pulchra

Dalea gattingeri
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly or rocky grass­lands, open oak, juniper, or pine woodlands, desert scrub. Cedar glades and barrens, on rocky, calcareous soils.
Elevation 900–1400 m. (3000–4600 ft.) 150–500 m. (500–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; GA; MO; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 gattingeri is a narrow habitat specialist that can be locally common in suitable habitat.

(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. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, 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. 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 Kuhnistera gattingeri, Petalostemon gattingeri
Name authority Gentry: Madroño 10: 227, plate 14. (1950) (A. Heller) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 274. (1977)
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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