Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea neomexicana

Santa Catalina prairie-clover

downy prairie-clover, New Mexico dalea

Habit

Shrubs, relatively erect, stiffly-branching, silky- or velvety-pubescent distally.

Stems

5–10 dm, verruculose distally.

0.3–3.5 dm, sparsely to densely glandular-pustulate.

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.

racemes, spikelike, densely flowered, not involucrate, 1.3–1.6 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 1–6 cm;

bracts soon deciduous, 2–6 mm.

Peduncles

0–1 cm.

0.3–0.4 cm.

Stamens

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

10, 5–6.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2.4 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7(–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.

bicolored, banner whitish, violet-tinged, other petals white or whitish; papilionaceous;

banner 4–5.6 mm, blades ± cordate, (2.8–)3–3.7 × 2.3–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.4–3.3 × 1.3–1.8 mm;

keel persistent, remaining attached to stamen column, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.4–3.5 × 1.8–2.2 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.

± symmetric, 4.2–8 mm, densely pilose;

tube 2.1–3.1 mm, with 5–7(–9) glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate or plumose.

Legumes

2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular.

1.2–3 mm, pilose distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm.

1.7–2.4 mm.

Principal

leaves 0.5–1.5 cm;

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

leaves 0.8–4.5 cm;

leaflets 7–15, blades cuneate-obcordate to obovate or elliptic-ovate, 2.5–8 mm, margins entire or undulate-crenate.

Perennial

herbs, matted or tufted, gray-silky pubescent.

= 14.

Dalea pulchra

Dalea neomexicana

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)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

sw United States; n Mexico

[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.)

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

Dalea neomexicana somewhat resembles Marina calycosa in habit and overall appearance. It is sometimes confused also with D. mollis and D. mollissima, since the annual nature of those species is not always apparent in well-developed plants.

Variety megaladenia Barneby is known from northern Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.

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

Key

1. Leaflet blades cuneate-obcordate, margins usually undulate-crenulate.	var. neomexicana
1. Leaflet blades obovate or elliptic-ovate, margins usually entire.	var. longipila

Source

FNA vol. 11.

Parent taxa

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. 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. 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. neomexicana var. longipila, D. neomexicana var. neomexicana

Synonyms

D. mollis var. neomexicana

Name authority

Gentry: Madroño 10: 227, plate 14. (1950)

(A. Gray) Cory: Rhodora 38: 406. (1936)

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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