Black Dalea
Dalea frutescens
A compact shrub with rose-purple blooms in fall and early winter that attract butterflies and quail.
Hardy in USDA zones 7-11; very cold-tolerant for both low and mid desert and equally at home in extreme summer heat.
AMWUA Notes
A low-water nitrogen-fixing shrub that provides valuable fall and early-winter nectar and quail cover.
Care Guide
Low water; a deep soak every 2 weeks in summer is plenty and it tolerates real drought once established.
Shear or head back by about a third in late winter to keep its fine-textured mound tidy and dense; it takes a firm cutback well but does not require it.
No fertilizer needed; as a legume it fixes its own nitrogen.
Free of significant pests.
Semi-evergreen with ferny foliage; its rose-purple flowers peak in fall and early winter, a valuable late-season nectar source when little else blooms.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Rocky, well-drained soils; tolerates caliche and alkaline pH 7.5-8.5; a nitrogen-fixing legume.
Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.
None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.
From scarified, rhizobia-inoculated seed.
3-4 ft
Non-aggressive roots; safe near hardscape and pools.
Placement Tips
- •Compact at about 3 ft tall by 4 ft wide; space 3-4 ft apart and mass for a fall color drift.
- •Its fine foliage and low litter suit borders, pool surrounds, and pathway edges.
- •Excellent front-of-bed filler under larger shrubs and around boulders.
- •Site in full sun; it thins and flowers poorly in shade.
Features
Best Uses
Ecological Value
Attracts
Wildlife Value
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
Include in Your Project
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Use this care guide to maintain your Black Dalea. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.