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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
An attractive plant of the Midwestern prairies, Purple Prairie Clover, Dalea purpurea (Petalostemum purpureum is a synonym) is a conservative species of legume that is found in higher-quality prairie remnants, or as in this case, in prairie reconstruction projects.
It's a perennial that can reportedly grow to 3 feet tall if it's really happy, but specimens that I see are shorter than that, typically about 12-18 inches tall. It usually blooms in July into early August around here.
Kingdom-Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom-Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision-Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division-Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class-Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass-Rosidae
Order-Fabales
Family-Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus-Dalea L. – Prairie Clover
Species-Dalea purpurea Vent. – Purple Prairie Clover
More info from the Illinois Wildflowers site:
Description: This native perennial plant is unbranched and ¾–3' tall. Older plants may tiller at the base and send up multiple stems, creating a bushy effect. The central stem is slightly ridged and hairless. The odd-pinnate compound leaves alternate as they ascend the stem. They consist of 3-7 leaflets and tend to be quite short, approximately 2-5" long. Each leaflet is dark green, linear in shape, and about 1" long and 1/8" across. There are scattered translucent dots across the surface. At the top of the plant is a dense cylindrical spike of flowers about 1-2" long and about half as much or less across. Each purple flower is about 1/3" across, with 5 small petals and 5 golden anthers that protrude outward. These flowers bloom together as a flowery wreath at the bottom of the spike, which gradually moves upward at the season progresses. There is no noticeable floral scent. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-summer, and lasts about 1-1½ months. The root system consists of a stout taproot that runs deep into the ground. The seeds travel only a short distance from the mother plant when the cylindrical spikes are shaken by the wind.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and average to dry conditions. The soil can contain significant amounts of loam, clay, sand, or gravel – this plant is rather indifferent to the characteristics of the soil, to which it adds nitrogen. Foliar disease is not troublesome. Purple Prairie Clover is slow to develop, but is fairly easy to manage if the site is well-drained and there is plenty of sun.
Range & Habitat: Purple Prairie Clover occurs occasionally in central and northern Illinois, but is rare or absent in southern Illinois. It is not common in areas that have been disturbed by modern development. Habitats include mesic to dry black soil prairies, gravel prairies, sand prairies,Close-Up of Compound Leaves hill prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, limestone glades, and sandy hills or dunes near Lake Michigan. Recovery from occasional wildfires is good.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, small butterflies, skippers, beetles, and plant bugs. The Plasterer bees Colletes albescens and Colletes robertsonii are oligoleges of this plant. Other bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Cuckoo bees, Miner bees, Leaf-Cutting bees, Green Metallic bees, and other Halictine bees. The caterpillars of the butterfly Colias cesonia (Southern Dogface) are sometimes found on the leaves, but this species often fails to overwinter successfully in Illinois. Bean Weevils (Acanthoscelides spp.) sometimes infest the seeds, while a treehopper (Vanduzea triguttata) feeds on the foliage. Purple Prairie Clover is palatable and high in protein, therefore mammalian herbivores of all kinds eat this plant readily. It can be difficult to establish in some areas if there is an abundance of these animals. It is possible that small rodents carry the seeds to their dens, which may aid in the distribution of this plant.
Comments: A mature plant that tillers at the base is very attractive when it is in full bloom. Also, the foliage is somewhat ornamental and remains attractive throughout the growing season. This plant is not easily confused with any other species, perhaps the most similar being Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover), which has white flowers and foliage that is lighter-colored and somewhat longer. |
techranger, NinaM, boreocypriensis, mesquens, tuslaw, jusninasirun, Pitoncle has marked this note useful
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