Dalea lumholtzii

Kearney and Peebles 1969, Wiggins 1964

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Subshrub General: Erect perennial, 15-30 cm tall, glandular-punctate herbs or shrubs arising from a woody caudex, branching from near the base, sparingly above. Leaves: Small, linear-lanceolate odd-pinnate leaves, 2-4.5 cm long, with 17-30 leaflets, each 4-10 mm long, tightly packed throughout the branches as well as on the rachis. Flowers: Borne on terminal peduncles 2-7 cm long, with ovoid, compact spikes, 0.5-1 cm long, corollas white, fading pink, with bracts densely villous dorsally towards the base, glabrate above, the calyx lobes pilose, shorter than the tube, tube 1.5-2 mm long, ciliate, wing and keel petals 2.5-3 mm long, the petals leaving scars when they fall. Fruits: Small, indehiscent pods that are pubescent, about 2 mm long. Ecology: Found on a variety of sites from the desert grasslands up to the pine-oak woodlands from 3,500-7,000 ft (1067-2134 m); flowering July-September. Notes: Sample specimens show elongated spikes as well as the shorter, compact ones. This species can grow to be a bit taller than your average Dalea, but is never very tall. Stems or young stems are hairy. Lemony smell--- Ethnobotany: There is no specific use of this species, but the genus was used for food. Etymology: Dalea is named after Samuel Dale (1659-1739), an English physician, botanist and botanical collector, and gardener who was the author of several botanical works and a treatise on medicinal plants. Synonyms: Dalea arizonica, Dalea astragalopsis, Parosela arizonica, Parosela lumholtzii Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011