Practical
Plants

Dalea gattingeri

a perennial member of the Dalea genus in the family Leguminosae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Dalea
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.35 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - chewed[11][8][9]. A tea-like beverage is made from the dried leaves[8][9][10].

Plant part
Root
Product or use
Tea

Ecology and functions

Nitrogen fixer

Environment

Range
N. America - Tennessee to N.W. Alabama.
Habitat
Dry desert and alluvial soils to 2000 metres[6][5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer[5].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a well-drained soil in full sun[5]. A deep-rooted plant, it prefers a sandy loam with added leaf mould[1]. This species is well-suited to informal and naturalistic plantings, especially as part of a collection of native species[5]. Plants are monocarpic, living for a number of years without flowering and then dying after flowering[5]. The stems, leaves and flowers are dotted with glands, making the plant look blistered[5]. There is some doubt in my mind as to the correct name for this species. The information was collected under the name Petalostemum purpureum, which is given in [5] as a synonym for this species. However, there is also a Dalea purpureum and I wonder if the entry in [5] is correct[K]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  6. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  7. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

  8. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)

    ↩1↩2

  9. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. ()

    ↩1↩2

  10. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)

    ↩

  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (1959-00-00)

    ↩

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