Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Dalea formosa, Indigobush

Dalea formosa, Indigobush, Southwest Desert Flora Dalea formosa, Indigobush, Southwest Desert Flora Dalea formosa, Indigobush, Southwest Desert Flora Dalea formosa, Indigobush, Southwest Desert Flora

Scientific Name: Dalea formosa
Common Name: Indigobush 0

Also Called: Feather Dalea, Feather Indigo, Feather Plume, Featherplume, Feathery Dalea,Indigo Bush, Pea Bush, Plume Dalea, ES: Yerba de Alonso García)

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family

Synonyms: (Parosela formosa)

Status: native

Duration: Perennial

Size: Up to 3 feet (.91 m) or more; 6 feet (1.8 m).

Growth Form: Indigobush is a shrub or subshrub with multiple branches; plants scraggly; low-growing, woody, stems are grayish-brown without spines or thorns.

Leaves: Indigobush has green or light-green leaves; the leaves are pinnately compound with small gland-dotted leaflets.

Flower Color: Indigobush has bright purple and pink flowers with yellow throats, extremely showy, flower is pea-like in short spike-like clusters; flowers with silk hair on the outsides; flowers somewhat fuzzy and feathery in appearance; fruit is a small, hairy pod.

Flowering Season: March or April to October; blooms again after monsoon rainfall.

Elevation: 2,000 to 6,500 feet (610 - 1,981 m).

Habitat Preferences: Dry rocky areas and hillsides, mountains, plains; generally poor soils in limestone and/or caliche soils; habitat types include mid-elevation desert grasslands and Pinyon/Juniper communities.

Recorded Range: Dalea formosa is found in the southwest in AZ, CO, NM, OK and TX. It is also native to northern and north-eastern Mexico.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Dalea formosa.

North America species range map for Indigobush, Dalea formosa:

North America species range map for Indigobush, Dalea formosa:
Click image for full size map.

U.S. Weed Information: Unknown
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: Unknown
Wetland Indicator: Unknown
Threatened/Endangered Information: Unknown

Genus Information: In North America, USDA Plants Database lists 108 native species for Dalea; Worldwide, World Flora Online includes 223 accepted species names for the genus and The Plant List shows 233 records for Dalea including varieties.

The genus Dalea was published in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, (1707-1778).

Members of the genus Dalea are known collectively as the Prairie Clovers and Indigo Bush.

In the Southwestern United States: Arizona has 32 species of genus, California, Nevada and Utah each have 4 species, New Mexico has 29 species and Texas has 36 species. Data approximate, subject to revision.

Comments: Indigobush or Feathery Dalea may be used as an easy to grow, low maintenance ornamental as a low-growing ground-cover on sunny-slopes.

Also see in Southwest Desert Flora; Whiteflower Prairie Clover, Dalea albiflora and Soft Prairie Clover, Dalea mollissima.

Importance to Wildlife, Birds and Livestock
Indigo Bush, Dalea formosa has attractive flowers, the flowers and their seeds may be visited by hummingbirds and/or small mammals including rodents and granivorous birds in search of nectar or food.

Livestock, deer and rabbits are known to browse on this plant.

Beneficial Value to Butterflies and Insects
Indigo Bush, Dalea formosa has attractive flowers, the flowers and their plants may be visited by butterflies, moths, flies, Native Bees and other insects in search of food and nectar.

****Beneficial Value to Honeybees****
According to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation or other source, Indigo Bush, Dalea formosa is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of Honeybees.

****Special Value to Native Bees****
According to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation or other source, Indigo Bush, Dalea formosa, is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of Native bees. Click here for more information on their Pollinator Conservation Program.

****Special Value to Bumble Bees****
According to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation or other source, Indigo Bush, Dalea formosa, is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of Bumble Bees. Click here for more information on their Pollinator Conservation Program.

Etymology:
The genus “Dalea” (Da'lea:) was named in honor of Samuel Dale, (1659-1739).

The genus Dalea was published in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, (1707-1778).

The species epithet “formosa” (formo'sa:) means finely formed, handsome or beautiful.

The species taxon “Dalea formosa” was described in 1828 by John Torrey, (1796-1873).

Ethnobotany - Native American Ethnobotany; University of Michigan - Dearborn
Whiteflower Prairie Clover, Dalea albiflora is used for such purposes as described below.
  • Jemez Drug, Cathartic; Decoction of leaves taken as a cathartic.
  • Keres, Western Drug, Emetic; Infusion of leaves used as an emetic before breakfast.
  • Keres, Western Drug, Strengthener; Infusion of leaves used by runners to increase endurance and long wind.
  • Keres, Western Other, Fuel; Plant used for firewood.

    • See complete listing of ethno-botanical uses at Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn.

    Date Profile Completed: 08/20/2015, updated 01/19/2022
    References and additional information:
    Arizona Flora, Kearney, Thomas H., Peebles, Robert H., 1960, University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, California.
    Plants.USDA.gov; Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service on-line database and USGS ITIS search; accessed accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/basicSearchResults?resultId=bb932184-2e08-408d-bb1c-3eb49d4664e8
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=DAFO
    World Flora Online; A Project of the World Flora Online Consortium; An Online Flora of All Known Plants - (accessed on-line 01/19/2022)
    http://www.worldfloraonline.org/search?query=dalea The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed on-line 01/19/2022).
    http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=dalea
    Native Plant Information Network, NPIN. Published on the Internet http://www.wildflower.org/plants/; accessed on-line 01/22/2022. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas, Austin, TX.
    https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DAFO
    Vines 1960, Martin and Hutchins 1980, Kearney and Peebles 1969, MacDougall 1973, Allred and Ivey 2012, Correll and Johnston 1970; Editor: A.Hazelton 2017; from SEINet Field Guide, on-line; accessed on-line 01/22/2022.
    https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1546&clid=3120
    Kleiman, Russ, Dr., Associate Botanist, Dale A. Zimmerman Herbarium; Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness; Dalea formosa Torrey - (Indigobush, Feather Plume); - accessed 01/22/2022; Presented in Association with the Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences
    https://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/dalea_formosa.html
    Texas A&M Agri-life Extension; Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management; accessed on-line 01/22/2022.
    https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/feather-dalea/
    Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, online at Yavapai County; Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants; Desmodium neomexicanum - New Mexico ticktrefoil; (accessed online: 01/22/2022)
    https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetail.php?genus=Dalea&species=formosa
    Seiler, John, Peterson, John, North American species range map courtesy of Virginia Tech, Dept. of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation
    http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/
    SEINet synonyms, scientific names, geographic locations, general information.
    http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/
    Etymology: Michael L. Charters California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations; A Dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology - (accessed accessed on-line 01/19/2022)
    http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageD.html
    http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageAB-AM.html
    IPNI (2020). International Plant Names Index. Published on the Internet http://www.ipni.org, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. [Retrieved accessed on-line 19 January 2022].
    https://www.ipni.org/?q=dalea%20albiflora