Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae

What it is like

Dalea purpurea is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft). It is in flower in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.9

Where it is found

Dry desert and alluvial soils to 2000 metres. Sandy prairies in Texas.

Western N. America.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

The root was used for chewing. A pleasant sweet flavour. The dried leaves are a tea substitute.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A poultice of the steeped bruised leaves has been applied to fresh wounds. A decoction of the leaves and blossoms has been used in the treatment of heart problems, diarrhoea. An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of measles.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating:

The tough, elastic stems have been made into brooms.

Broom: Used for sweeping the floor etc.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

Requires a well-drained soil in full sun. A deep-rooted plant, it prefers a sandy loam with added leaf mould. This species is well-suited to informal and naturalistic plantings, especially as part of a collection of native species. Plants are monocarpic, living for a number of years without flowering and then dying after flowering. The stems, leaves and flowers are dotted with glands, making the plant look blistered. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagating it: Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Petalostemon violaceum. Michx.