Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
Thimble-shaped heads ringed by a moving halo of orange-tipped purple florets. A nitrogen-fixing prairie legume beloved by native bees. The sweet-tasting root has been chewed, and the dried leaves brew into a tea.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–3 ft
- Spacing
- 1–1.5 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, alkaline, neutral
- Bloom
- June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- purple
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, pollinators
- Landscape uses
- border, naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, AZ, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NY, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WI, WY
Related native plants
More Dalea species
- White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida)
- Feather Dalea (Dalea formosa)
- Silky Prairie Clover (Dalea villosa)
- Black Dalea (Dalea frutescens)
- Trailing Indigo Bush (Dalea greggii)