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Dalea candida oligophylla

Common name:	White Prairie Clover	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(Torr.)Shinn.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Petalostemon oligophyllum ((Torr.)Rydb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Central N. America - southwards from Canada.
Habitat:	Dry desert and alluvial soils to 2000 metres[43, 200]. Prairies and open wods on sandy, clayey and rocky soils[274].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	D. candida var. oligophylla[B,G,P] D. oligophylla[B,P] Kuhnistera occidentalis[G] Petalostemon candidum var. occidentalis[G] Petalostemon candidus var. oligophyllus[B,P] Petalostemon gracile var. oligophyllum[G] Petalostemon occidentale[G] Petalostemon occidentalis[B,P] Petalostemon oligophyllus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	White Prairieclover [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	candida = very white;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.7m. . It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root; Tea.

Root - raw or chewed for its pleasant sweet flavour[46, 105, 161]. The root can be dried, ground into a powder and stored for later use[257].
Leaves - cooked[61]. The peeled stems have been used as a food[257].
A tea-like beverage is made from the dried leaves[105].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Emetic; Poultice.

The plant is a strong emetic[216].
A poultice of the plant has been used to treat wounds[257].

Other Uses

Broom; Hair.

An infusion of the roots has been used as a hair wash to prevent the hair from falling out[257].
The plant has been used for making light brooms[257].

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained soil in full sun[200]. 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[200].
We are not sure how hardy this plant is in Britain, but judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country.
Plants are monocarpic, living for a number of years without flowering and then dying after flowering[200].
The stems, leaves and flowers are dotted with glands, making the plant look blistered[200].
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[200].

Propagation

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[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Dalea candida var. oligophylla (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[216] Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939
A very good guide the the plant uses of the N. American Hopi Indians.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

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