Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea pinnata

Santa Catalina prairie-clover

summer farewell

Habit

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

Stems

5–10 dm, verruculose distally.

(3–)4.5–9(–10) dm, finely to coarsely glandular-tuberculate proximal to inflorescences.

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 flowered, appearing capitate, conspicuously involucrate, with several whorls of clearly differentiated sterile bracts proximal to spike, 6–13 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 0.6–1.2 cm;

bracts deciduous, basal involucral bracts persistent, becoming transitional to foliage leaves, 5–8 mm.

Peduncles

0–1 cm.

absent.

Stamens

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

5, 8.8–10.8 mm, filaments distinct to 4.2–5.5 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 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.

white;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner (5–)5.4–8.6 mm, blade lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, proximally cuneate (subhastate), 2.7–4.3 × 0.6–1.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 3–5 × 0.5–1.4 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, slightly recessed opposite banner, 4.5–7.8(–8.2) mm, pilose;

tube (1.5–)1.7–2.3(–2.7) mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes linear, becoming plumose.

Legumes

2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular.

2.5–3 mm, pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm.

1.7 mm.

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 cm;

leaflets 3–11(or 13), blades linear or elliptic-oblanceolate, 5–11 mm.

Perennial

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

= 14.

Dalea pulchra

Dalea pinnata

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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se United States

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[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 (3 in the flora).

Dalea pinnata, with its headlike spikes and conspicuous involucres, resembles a member of the Asteraceae. This resemblance is heightened after the petals drop because the slender, plumose calyx-lobes begin to resemble a pappus.

The varieties of Dalea pinnata have limited geographical overlap and var. pinnata is the most widespread.

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

Key

1. Leaflets 3.	var. trifoliata
1. Leaflets 5–11(or 13).	→ 2
2. Involucres: 6–9 mm wide; stems finely glandular-tuberculate proximal to spikes.	var. pinnata
2. Involucres 10–13 mm wide; stems coarsely glandular-tuberculate proximal to spikes.	var. adenopoda

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. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, 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. pinnata var. adenopoda, D. pinnata var. pinnata, D. pinnata var. trifoliata

Synonyms

Kuhnia pinnata, Kuhnistera pinnata, Petalostemon pinnatus

Name authority

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

(J. F. Gmelin) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 27: 278. 1977 · Summer-farewell

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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