Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Dalea ordiae, Dalea watsoni, Parosela watsonii, Petalostemon pilosulus, Thornbera leucantha
Other common names
scruffy prairie clover
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1/2 to 2 feet
Riparian
No
A densely, silvery-hairy erect perennial with few to many stems from a single base; leaves with many silvery-hairy leaflets; terminal, dense spike of small showy white flowers. The flowers attract butterflies and many species of bees.
Erect to ascending hairy stems, often reddish in color, branching; leaves compound, 19 to 31 elliptic leaflets; flower stems longer than the cylindric, dense, spikes of sessile, white pea-like flowers; petals leave scars when they fall.
Habitat
Open slopes often in canyons, grasslands, pinyon/juniper woodlands and montane forest clearings, along roads and washes.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Tiny pea-like white flowers in a cone-shaped dense spike cluster, 1 to 2-1/2 inches long; each flower is made up of 5 petals surrounding 10 long yellow stamens.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Narrow, compound leaves, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long, made up of 5 to 9 pairs of elliptic leaflets.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Minutely hairy, glandular.
Fruit type
Pod
1 to 2 seeds per pod.