# purple prairie clover

*Dalea purpurea*

The roots of a single plant can extend over six feet underground, allowing it to thrive during intense droughts that wither other flora.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Dalea
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairies; also found on rocky slopes, glades, and open woodlands.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis); obtains nitrogen through symbiotic bacteria in root nodules.
- **Range:** Great Plains of North America, Central United States, Southern Canada, Northern Mexico
- **Size:** 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) tall.
- **Lifespan:** Perennial; individual plants typically live 5 to 12 years.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, urban development, fire suppression, and encroachment by invasive species.
- **Safe to approach?:** Entirely harmless and safe to touch. This plant is a vital nectar source for pollinators; observe quietly to see native bees at work. Avoid trampling or picking in protected conservation areas.

## About

Dalea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name purple prairie clover , better written as "prairie-clover," in recognition of the fact that it is not a true clover (genus Trifolium ).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/33567487-65ea-444b-8ad2-bf84442ab820
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/63547
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalea purpurea
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/52526702/medium.jpeg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.