Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea Vent.
Synonym: Petalostemon purpureum (Vent.) Rydb.
This gorgeous purple-flowered plant provides needed color later in the growing season. A slow grower at first, long-lived purple prairie clover takes a year or two to bulk up and really start blooming. It also emerges slowly in the spring. Like other members of the pea family, the plant houses nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its roots, providing natural fertilizer for other plants in the area. Purple prairie clover can reseed.
Height: 2-3’
Width: 1-2’
Water needs: dry to moderately moist
Exposure: full sun to part shade
Availability in nurseries: common
Native range: broadly distributed across North America, except for the coasts
(WY native)
Plant family: Fabaceae
Photo by Brenna Marsicek
Photo by Jennifer Thompson
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