Dalea mollissima

Dalea mollissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Dalea
Species:	D. mollissima
Binomial name
Dalea mollissima (Rydb.) Munz

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 Deserts 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 inflorescences of pea-like flowers in white or lavender. The fruit is a single-seeded legume pod.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Photo gallery