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.