Dalea mollissima
Encyclopedia
Dalea mollissima is a species of flowering plant in the legume family
which is known by the common names soft prairie clover and downy dalea. This wildflower is quite similar in appearance to its close relative, Dalea mollis
, but its foliage is covered with thinner, downier hairs. This is a plant of the Mojave
and Sonoran Desert
s and nearby mountains. It is a small, mat-forming annual or perennial herb which grows in patches on the desert floor and slopes. Its leaves are made up of several pairs of oval-shaped fuzz-covered leaflets. It bears fluffy inflorescence
s of pea-like flowers in white or lavender. The fruit is a single-seeded legume pod.
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
which is known by the common names soft prairie clover and downy dalea. This wildflower is quite similar in appearance to its close relative, Dalea mollis
Dalea mollis
Dalea mollis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family which is known by the common name hairy prairie clover. This wildflower is native to the deserts where Mexico meets the US states of California and Arizona. It is a common member of various desert ecosystems in the region...
, but its foliage is covered with thinner, downier hairs. This is a plant of the Mojave
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
s and nearby mountains. It is a small, mat-forming annual or perennial herb which grows in patches on the desert floor and slopes. Its leaves are made up of several pairs of oval-shaped fuzz-covered leaflets. It bears fluffy inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of pea-like flowers in white or lavender. The fruit is a single-seeded legume pod.