Dalea purpurea

Purple prairie clover is a North American prairie native with beautiful knobby rose-purple flowers. Flowers are held on long stems above a clump of fine leaves. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators adore the flowers. Birds feast on the seeds.

Easy to grow in dry soil in full sun. Do not grow in overly rich soil. Deer resistant.

Host plant for the Dogface Butterfly.

Tip: Plant young and do not move. This plant has a deep taproot that takes a long time to establish; it resents disturbance.

Zones: 4 to 8

Family: Papilionaceae

Type: Perennial

Height: 12 to 36 in.

Spread: 12 to 18 in.

Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Conditions: Dry

Bloom Time: July to August

Bloom Color: Rose-purple

Native Range: central North America with some distribution into New York and Washington

Image Credits:

Image 1 (bloom) Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 (form) Blaine Hansel, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 3 (foliage) Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

expected early September