 |
Common Name - Purple Prairie Clover |
| Scientific Name - Dalea purpurea |
| Family Name - Bean (Fabaceae) |
|
Season |
Early summer perennial |
|
Habitat |
A prairie plant but often found along
roadsides and roadside ditches that are sandy and open to the
sun. |
|
Flower |
Small, less than 1/4" long,
lavender-purple, clustered in spikes. Each spike contains 100
or more blossoms.. Individual blossoms open starting from the
bottom of the spike. Each flower has 5 stamens.and a hairy calyx. |
|
Leaves |
Alternate, pinnately compound, leaflets
5 to 7 and narrow. Stems are sturdy, slender and wiry. Stem clusters
arise from a shared root system and are about 1' tall. |
|
Click on the thumbnail
photograph to see a larger image of the Purple Prairie Clover |
|
Click on a name (left
column) to see another flower. |