Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Dalea alopecuroides, D. lagopus, D. pedunculata, Parosela alopecuroides, P. lagopus, P. leporina
Other common names
foxtail dalea
hare's-foot dalea
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
To about 3 feet
Riparian
Yes
Often much branched, erect to spreading annual with multiple basal stems; fern-like leaves to 4 inches long have 21 to 35 leaflets per leaf; tiny butterfly-like flowers grow in dense 3 inch cylindric spikes at the stem tips blooming from the bottom up.
Annual; stems erect, branch above the middle; leaves pinnately compound, 21 to 35 leaflets; flowers in cylindrical spikes, white, blue or pinkish-purple, pea flower shape of banner, wings and keel; bracts hairy on the margins and base; sepals not hairy.
Habitat
Prairies, open woods such as oak and pineforest, streambanks and lake margins, edges of fields, along irrigation ditches and highways, roadsides, waste areas, disturbed alluvial soils (fertile soil deposited by water flowing in river beds).
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
5500
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
Flower has 5 petals; upper banner petal is the largest, 2 side wing petals and 2 boat-shaped bottom keel petals are both about 1/2 as long as the banner. Leaf-like bracts below the flower have silky, long, hairs making the flower spike resemble a foxtail.
Flower color
White, blue or pinkish-purple
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Smooth stems except for scattered glands in the upper plant. 21 to 35 leaflets, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, oblong to egg-shaped, hairless, often stalkless, may be red-tinged, lighter green and gland dotted on the lower surface and have round to squared tips.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is a small, papery, dry, 1 to 2-seeded pod with a reverse egg-shape to about 1/8 inch long. It is hairy near the top and contained within the outer leaf-like sepals beneath it. Pod opens at maturity to release its seed(s).
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Brown
Seeds are about 1/16 inch long, shiny, smooth and brown.