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Purple Prairie Clover

Dalea purpurea

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in prairies, glades, and open woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status unresolved in Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–1.5 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 10 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 67 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Dalea

  • Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
  • Echinargus isolaReakirt's Blue, Isola Blue
  • Hypomecis umbrosariaUmber Moth
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Schinia lucensAmorpha Flower Moth, Leadplant Moth, Flase Indigo Flower Moth
  • Stegasta bosqueellaRed-Necked Peanutworm
  • Zerene cesoniaSouthern Dogface
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
5Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Dalea

  • Colletes aberrans
  • Colletes howardi
  • Colletes robertsonii
  • Colletes susannae
  • Colletes wilmattae
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Dalea

  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Pink or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Violet Prairie Clover

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankNot available
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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Sources