Flora of North America species comparison

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Dalea wrightii

Dalea cahaba

Wright's dalea, Wright's prairie-clover

Cahaba prairie clover
Stems

0.4–2.6(–3.6) dm, eglandular.

ribbed, simple or proximally branched, 1.7–6.5(–7) dm, eglandular.
Inflorescences

spikes, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, 17–23 mm diam.;

axis not to partially visible, (1.5–)2–6 cm;

bracts deciduous near anthesis, 6–12 mm.

spikes, densely flowered, not involucrate, (7–)9–12 mm diam.;

axis not visible, 0.5–2.2(–2.8) cm;

bracts persistent through anthesis, proximals 4–7 mm, median 3.3–5 mm.
Peduncles

absent or very short.

(0.5–)2–8.5 cm.
Stamens

10, 10–13 mm, filaments distinct to 1.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.

5, 6–7 mm, filaments distinct for 4–4.5 mm, anthers (0.7–)0.9–1.2 mm.
Corollas

clear yellow, pinkish or orangish brown in age; papilionaceous;

banner 7.8–9.5 mm, blade cordate, 2–3 × 2.4–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached distal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.6–3.4 × 1.8–2.3 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades (2.6–)3–4(–4.2) × 1.6–2.2 mm.

rose-purple;

not conventionally papilionaceous;

banner 3.5–5.3 mm, blade ovate, 2–2.5 × 1.7–1.8 mm; epistemonous petals attached at separation of filaments, blades 2.5–3 × 1.1–1.8 mm.
Calyces

somewhat asymmetric, slightly recessed opposite banner, (8.5–)9–12.3 mm, densely pilose;

tube (2.5–)2.7–3.5 mm, with 4 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose.

subsymmetric, 4–5 mm, tomentulose, base with intertangled hairs;

tube 2.5 mm, with 0 glands between ribs, lobes lanceolate-acuminate or adaxial pair lanceolate-ovate-acuminate to ovate-acuminate.
Legumes

2.8–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.

3.2–4.4 mm, glabrous at base, tomentulose on distal 2/3, eglandular.
Seeds

2–2.8 mm.

1.9–2.2 mm.
Perennial

herbs, erect to decumbent or ascending, silky-pilose.

herbs, decumbent to weakly ascending, glabrate to pilosulous.
Principal

leaves 1–3.5 cm;

leaflets 5, blades rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, 4–15(–20) mm, surfaces apparently eglandular.

leaves 1.5–3.7 cm;

leaflets 3 or 5, blades inrolled to involute, linear to linear-lanceolate, 5–20 mm.
2n

= 14.

Dalea wrightii

Dalea cahaba
Phenology Flowering early spring–fall. Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Rocky grasslands, desert slopes, on limestone. Open glades, dolomite soils.
Elevation 500–1800 m. (1600–5900 ft.) 70–200 m. (200–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Dalea wrightii occurs in southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas.

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

Dalea cahaba is apparently restricted to open glades in the Ketona dolomite formation in Bibb County. Because it is distinguished from similar species only by its sprawling habit and indument, genetic and transplant studies are needed to verify its status as a distinct species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea 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. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa
D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, 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. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii
Synonyms D. wrightii var. warnockii
Name authority A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 49. (1852) J. R. Allison: Castanea 66: 166, fig. 5. (2001)
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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