Purple prairie clover

Dalea purpurea

A deep-rooted prairie legume that feeds the soil and the bees.

Type: herb or perennial · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 3 to 8
Light: full sun
Size: about 2 ft tall, 1 ft wide
From: Central North America
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: fixing nitrogen in the soil, pollinators, butterfly and moth caterpillars.

Native to: Midwest & Great Lakes, Great Plains & Texas, Rockies & Great Basin, Western Canada. Hardy in zones 3 to 8.

The story

Purple prairie clover is a legume of the dry prairie with a taproot that can reach six feet. Each flower head is a thimble that opens from the bottom up, wearing a ring of purple that climbs a little higher each day.

Planting

Full sun and well-drained soil. Sow in fall or plant plugs in spring.

Growing

Protect young plants from rabbits. It needs no feeding and little water.

Harvest and use

A magnet for native bees, including some that visit almost nothing else. Its leaves were brewed as tea by Plains peoples.

What to watch for

Rabbits love it. Slow in its first year.

See if Purple prairie clover fits your yard
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More native and wild plants

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home