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Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (Purple prairie clover)
Northington, David K.

Dalea purpurea var. purpurea Vent.

Purple prairie clover, Violet prairie clover

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonyms: Petalostemon purpureus var. purpureus

USDA Symbol: DAPUP

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Purple prairie-clover is a popular prairie perennial with delicate, foliage and showy flowers. Numerous slender stems rise 1-3 feet. and bear small leaves divided into linear segments. Tiny, individual flowers cluster around a cylinder-like cone. The bright, magenta-purple flowers start as a ring around the base of the cone and work upward as the season advances.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf: Green
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CO , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , ND , NE , NM , NY , OH , OK , SD , TN , TX , WI , WY
Canada: MB , SK
Native Distribution: E. IN to s. Alt., s. to MS, n. TX & NM
Native Habitat: Prairies; open woods, Infrequent in West Texas in open grasslands.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Well-drained soils. Well-drained calcareous soils.
Conditions Comments: The cheerful purple flowers mix well when planted with grasses in a short grass meadow garden or a mixed perennial garden with other plants with similar growing requirements. Purple prairie clover is a good source of nectar for insects and will also last nicely as a cut flower. Like other members of the pea family, this plant adds nutrients back to the soil when planted in masses.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Birds, Butterflies
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Special Value to Bumble Bees
Special Value to Honey Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Easily propagated from unstratified seed in fall or stratified seed in spring.
Seed Collection: Collect in Aug. and Sep.
Seed Treatment: Scarification, inoculation, moist stratification for 10 days
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Dalea purpurea var. purpurea in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Dalea purpurea var. purpurea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Dalea purpurea var. purpurea

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-05-10
Research By: TWC Staff, GDB

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