Dalea pulchra |
Dalea nana |
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Santa Catalina prairie-clover |
dwarf dalea, dwarf prairie-clover |
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Habit | Shrubs, relatively erect, stiffly-branching, silky- or velvety-pubescent distally. | |||||
Stems | 5–10 dm, verruculose distally. |
(0.5–)1–3.5 dm, nearly eglandular. |
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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, 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. |
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Peduncles | 0–1 cm. |
0–3.5 cm. |
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Stamens | 10, 7.5–9 mm, filaments distinct to 1.8–2.8 mm, anthers 0.6–0.7 mm. |
10, (6–)6.4–10 mm, filaments distinct to 1.1–2.3 mm, anthers 0.4–0.7 mm. |
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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. |
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. |
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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, 4.5–6.5(–7.5) mm, densely pilose; tube 1.9–2.7 mm, with 3 or 4 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose. |
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Legumes | 2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular. |
2.5–3 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular. |
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Seeds | 1.5–1.8 mm. |
1.8–2.2 mm. |
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Principal | leaves 0.5–1.5 cm; leaflets 5 or 7(or 9), blades obovate to oblanceolate, 1.5–5 mm. |
leaves 1–2.5(–3) cm; leaflets (3 or)5(or 7), blades obovate to olanceolate, 3–15 mm, surfaces inconspicuously glandular-punctate abaxially. |
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Perennial | herbs, prostrate, diffusely spreading, or erect, silky-pilosulous. |
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2n | = 14. |
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Dalea pulchra |
Dalea nana |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||
Habitat | Sandy to gravelly or rocky grasslands, open oak, juniper, or pine woodlands, desert scrub. | |||||
Elevation | 900–1400 m. (3000–4600 ft.) | |||||
Distribution |
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
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sw United States; n Mexico
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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.) |
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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. | ||||
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Gentry: Madroño 10: 227, plate 14. (1950) | Torrey ex A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 31. (1849) | ||||
Web links |