Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea phleoides

Albuquerque prairie clover

slimspike prairie clover

Stems

2–7 dm, glandular-tuberculate.

(2.5–)3–7 dm, glandular-tuberculate.

Inflorescences

spikes, relatively loosely flowered, not involucrate, 9–11 mm diam.;

axis often partially visible at anthesis, 1.5–9(–13) cm;

bracts early deciduous, 2.5–5 mm.

spikes, densely flowered, not obviously involucrate, 5.5–7.5 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (1.5–)2.5–9(–13) cm;

bracts early deciduous or proximals persistent, interfloral ones held in place by crowded flowers, 2.5–4.5 mm.

Peduncles

0.5–5 cm.

(1–)2–20(–25) cm.

Stamens

5, 8.5–9.8 mm, filaments distinct to 5–5.4 mm, anthers 0.7–1.1 mm.

5, 5.2–7.4 mm, filaments distinct to 3–4.3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm.

Corollas

pale pink to rose-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 7.2–8 mm, blade suborbiculate-cordate, 4–4.5 × 1–4.5 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 3.7–4 × 1.8–2.2 mm, laterals often wider than abaxials.

white;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 5.3–6.8 mm, blade deltate-obcordate, 2.8–3.5(–4) × 2.6–3.6(–5.2) mm; epistemonous petals attached at or near separation of filaments, blades 3–3.9 × 0.5–0.9 mm.

Calyces

asymmetric, recessed opposite banner, 4–5.8 mm, glabrous;

tube 3–3.8 mm, green intervals each with a single row (or adaxial pair with 2 or 3 rows) of 3–5 blister glands, lobes subulate or adaxial pair triangular to triangular-apiculate.

asymmetric, deeply recessed opposite banner, 2.5–3.8 mm, glabrous or pilosulous;

tube 1.7–2.5(–2.8) mm, with 1 or 2 blister glands between ribs, adaxial with 3–7, lobes triangular-subulate or adaxial pair broadly triangular.

Legumes

3.2–4 mm, glabrate, slightly ciliate distally and at proximal end of style, gland-dotted.

2.5–2.9 mm, pilosulous distally, sometimes also gland-dotted.

Seeds

2.3–3 mm.

apparently unknown.

Perennial

herbs, erect, glabrous proximal to inflorescences.

herbs, erect, pilosulous throughout or in part.

Principal

leaves 1–2.5 cm;

leaflets (5 or) 7 or 9, blades obovate-cuneate, 3–8 mm.

leaves 2.5–5.5(–6.5) cm;

leaflets 13–41(–49), blades oblong to oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 2–14 mm, surfaces glandular-verruculose abaxially.

= 14.

Dalea phleoides

Phenology

Flowering summer(–early fall).

Habitat

Sandy or limey soils, grasslands, sometimes with mesquite or juniper.

Elevation

1400–1600 m. (4600–5200 ft.)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

sc United States

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dalea scariosa is a geographically restricted and beautiful plant that is known only from locations near Alburquerque and Belen. It appears to be related to two other rare taxa, D. bartonii and D. sabinalis.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

B. L. Turner (2013) divided Dalea phleoides into three species: D. phleoides, distinguished from D. drummondiana by longer leaf blades and calyces, and D. carrizoana, based on the absence of indument and an allopatric distribution (from DeWitt to Maverick counties) south of the range of the other two species; the latter two are treated here as synonyms of D. phleoides var. microphylla.

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

Key

1. Leaflets 13–21(–25), blades 5–14 mm.	var. phleoides
1. Leaflets 25–41(–49), blades 2–7 mm.	var. microphylla

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. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, 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. 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. phleoides var. microphylla, D. phleoides var. phleoides

Synonyms

Petalostemon phleoides

Name authority

S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 369. (1882)

(Torrey & A. Gray) Shinners: Field & Lab. 17: 83. (1949)

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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