141.  Dalea scandens (Miller) R. T. Clausen

(Plate CXXIX)

Essentially like D. carthagenensis, up to 15 dm tall, ordinarily villosulous throughout, exceptionally glabrous to the inflorescence, the leaflets bicolored, green above, pallid or subglaucescent beneath; leaves dimorphic, the primary cauline ones 2-5 (7) cm long, with 7-17 leaflets (4) 5-18 (22) mm long; peduncles usually very short or 0, the first of each major division of the panicle sometimes developed and up to 2.5 cm long; spikes moderately loose, ovate-oblong to capitate-subglobose, the flowers falling into 2-3 ranks when pressed, the axis becoming 2-20 (30) mm long; bracts broadly lance- or ovate-acuminate, 2-6.5 mm long, gross-glandular and usually villosulous dorsally; calyx (3.6) 4.2-8.9 mm long, the tube either glabrous or villous, (1.6) 1.8-2.8 (3.1) mm long, the brown ribs prominent, the intervals charged with 1 row of (2) 3-6 discrete or (by confluence) 1-2 larger, orange-brown blister-glands, the triangular-aristiform, gland-spurred teeth ± unequal, plumose-plumulose with spreading hairs up to 0.6-1.1 mm long, the dorsal tooth sigmoidally arched in age, uncinate at apex, (1.6) 2.4-6.2 mm long; petals as in D. carthagenensis; banner 4.3-8.5 mm long; pod of D. carthagenensis.

As mentioned in the discussion of ser. Thyrsiflorae, D. scandens is set off only precariously from D. carthagenensis by its strongly hooked calyx-teeth. The Mexican and Caribbean phases of the two species are vicariant in range, and fulfil the conditions expected of mutually exclusive geographic subspecies; but in Central America, from Chiapas into Nicaragua, each of the major species is represented by a variety, these sympatric and very readily separable.