Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea pogonathera

Santa Catalina prairie-clover

bearded dalea, bearded prairie clover

Habit

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

Stems

5–10 dm, verruculose distally.

(0.4–)0.7–3.5 dm, sparsely glandular-punctate.

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, loosely flowered, not involucrate, 9–18(–20) mm diam.;

axis visible, 1–8 cm;

bracts persistent, 3–6 mm.

Peduncles

0–1 cm.

0.5–4 cm.

Stamens

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

9 or 10, (6.5–)7.5–10.5 mm, filaments distinct to 1.7–3 mm, anthers (0.4–)0.5–0.7 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.

violet-purple, banner with whitish or greenish center; papilionaceous;

banner (4.5–)4.8–7.8 mm, blade broadly ovate, proximally cordate, 2–3.6 × 2.4–4 mm; epistemonous petals attached near middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.3–3.9 × 1.2–2.1 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades 3.4–5.8 × 1.9–3.1 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.

± asymmetric, opening oblique, 5.2–10.5 mm, densely villosulous;

tube 2.6–3.4 mm, with 4–7 small glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose.

Legumes

2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent distally, eglandular.

2.8–3.5 mm, densely pilosulous distally, eglandular.

Seeds

1.5–1.8 mm.

1.9–2.4 mm.

Principal

leaves 0.5–1.5 cm;

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

leaves (0.4–)0.8–2(–2.5) cm;

leaflets (3 or)5 or 7, blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, (1.5–)2–10 mm.

Perennial

herbs, decumbent to ascending, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

= 14.

Dalea pulchra

Dalea pogonathera

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 2 (2 in the flora).

The varieties of Dalea pogonathera are geographically mostly separated with a broad transitional zone where intermediate individuals occur. Variety pogonathera is the more westerly distributed and upland form; var. walkerae has a more easterly range and occurs in more lowland situations. The region of intermediacy occurs in the Rio Grande valley from roughly Val Verde County to Zapata County.

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

Key

1. Spike diam. 13–18(–20) mm; calyx: longest lobe.	var. pogonathera
1. Spike diam. 9–12(–13) mm; calyx: longest lobe to.	var. walkerae

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. pinnata, 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. pogonathera var. pogonathera, D. pogonathera var. walkerae

Name authority

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

A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 31. (1849)

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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