[Prairie-clovers: The Genus Dalea East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Blue Mountain Prairie-clover, Ornate Dalea, Western Prairie-clover

Dalea ornata

Synonyms: Petalostemon ornatum, Petalostemon ornatus

Western prairie-clover as seen at the horse camp at Horn Rapids County Park, Benton County, Washington.........May 13, 2013.

Leaves of the Western Prairie-clover from the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.......June 23, 1998.

Characteristics:

Petalostemon ornatum is a many-stemmed perennial with a woody base or crown. It may attain a height of 60 cm. Its glabrous or sparsely haired except for the calyces and sometimes the stipules. The leaves are compound-pinnate with 5 to 7 elliptical to obovate leaflets. Individual leaflets are one to three centimeters in length.

The flowers form a dense, upright elongated spike. The lower spike flowers tend to open first, while those at the tip are last, so that only a portion of the spikes' flowers are open at one time. The sepals form a short (3 mm) tube or calyx, which may be glabrous (non-haired) or villous-hairy. The petals are pink to rose, with the petals 3 to 4 mm in length. This is an interesting native wildflower which would make a good addition to eastside gardens.

Habitat:

Petalostemon ornatum may be found in arid or semi-arid regions in rocky or sandy soil. It is often associated with sagebrush.

Range:

Western prairie-clover is found east of the Cascade Mountains from Yakima, WA south to central Oregon, and eastward into western Idaho.

Masses of western prairie-clover in bloom along Highway 380 (Paulina Highway) about one or two miles east of the junction with Juniper Canyon Road, Crook County, Oregon.......June 22, 2019.

Young leaf growth of western prairie-clover as seen along the Steelhead Falls Trail, Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area......April 25, 2018.

Western prairie-clover from the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.........June 23, 1998.

Blue Mountain Prairie-clover, Ornate Dalea, Western Prairie-clover: Dalea ornata (Synonyms: Petalostemon ornatum, Petalostemon ornatus)

Western prairie-clover from the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.........June 23, 1998.

Paul Slichter