Regional Garden
  1. Home
  2. Plant guide
  3. Purple Prairie Clover
Rose-purple
Perennial wildflower

Purple Prairie Clover

Dalea purpurea

Thimble-shaped flowers ringed in orange pollen, a nitrogen-fixing backbone of the dry prairie.

the Midwestthe Great Plainsthe South-Central regionthe Mountain West

Growing Purple Prairie Clover

A deep taproot makes it bulletproof in drought once established. Feeds an outsized share of specialist prairie bees. It’s deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and a nitrogen-fixer.

Where it grows

Purple Prairie Clover is native to the Midwest. In the wild you’ll find it across Arizona · Arkansas · Colorado · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana and 18 more states. Always confirm it suits your specific county with your state native plant society before planting.

Regional Garden shows Purple Prairie Clover on 28 state pages.

Good for

PollinatorsFor beesButterfliesDeer-resistantFull sunDrought-tolerant
Sourcing

Where to buy Purple Prairie Clover

Seeds & live plants on Amazon

Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.

Browse on Amazon

Some links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.

Plant it with

Companions & kin.

Natives that share Purple Prairie Clover’s range and conditions.

Perennial wildflower

Stiff Goldenrod

Solidago rigida

A prairie goldenrod with flat-topped flower heads that double as a butterfly landing pad.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 3–5 ft
  • Blooms Aug–Oct
Perennial wildflower

Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum

Months of lavender spikes over licorice-scented foliage, mobbed by bees from dawn to dusk.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Sep
Perennial wildflower

Blue Vervain

Verbena hastata

Candelabras of tiny violet flowers for wet ground, working for small native bees all summer.

  • Full–part sun
  • Average–wet
  • 3–5 ft
  • Blooms Jul–Sep