Feather dalea
Dalea formosa
Fabaceae (Legume family)
Description
Feather dalea is a small shrub that is usually under 3 feet tall. Its gray-brown stems are largely hairless, crooked, and widely branched.
The leaves are pinnately compound and very short. Each leaf will have 5 to 10 pairs of thick leaflets that fold up along the edges or tip. The leaves are also hairless and emerge straight from the stem or have a very short petiole.
From April to October Feather dalea's purple flowers bloom. They form loose clusters of 2 to 10 flowers on short stalks. The bracts of each flower has silky hair on the outsides. The fruit is a flat hairy pod containing 1 to 2 seeds.
Feather dalea holds little value as a forge plant for livestock but is valuable as a forage source for deer.
Habitat
Feather dalea is found on dry hills at altitudes from 2,000-6,500 feet.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Flower Color: Purple
Seed Type: Bean/Pod
Duration: Perennial
Stem Texture: Hairless/Smooth
Growth Habit: Shrub (Woody)
Leaf Shape
: Pinnately Compound
Season: Warm
Distribution
: 06 - South Texas Plains, 07 - Edwards Plateau, 08 - Rolling Plains, 10 - Trans-Pecos
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Collection: Brush and Weeds, Wild Flowers
