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Purple Prairie-clover
Dalea purpurea Vent.
Synonym: Petalostemon purpureum
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Family: Fabaceae,
Pea
Genus: Dalea
Description
General: multistemmed perennial, 30-60 cm tall, with thick
woody roots, from almost hairless (except among the
flowers), our variety, to grayish-woolly-hairy throughout.
 Leaves: alternate, odd-pinnate, the 3-7 leaflets linear,
mostly 10-20 mm long and 1-2 mm broad, folded up length-
wise. Stipules small, linear, bristle-like.
 Flowers: numerous in narrow, dense spikes, 2-7 cm tall
and about 1.5 cm thick, the bracts long-pointed, slightly
exceeding the buds. Calyx densely woolly- to stiff-hairy and
grayish to rusty, the tube 2.5-3 mm long, concealed by the
hairyness, the 5 teeth narrowly triangular, shorter than the
tube. Corolla purple, sometimes very pale, irregular,
apparently of 5 petals, one (probably the only true petal)
larger and joined at base to the calyx, the other 4 (due to
their position almost surely staminodia) joined to the short
staminal tube and alternate with the 5 fertile stamens.
Flowering time: July-August.
 Fruits: pods, 1- or 2-seeded, not splitting, usually
contained in the calyx.
Distribution
Dry plains and foothills, in n.w., c. and e. parts of MT. Also
on the e. slope of the Rocky Mts. to Sask. and Manitoba, s.
to CO, TX and AL.
  Edible and Medicinal plant: see below.
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(click on image for full size)
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Edible Uses:
The root of purple prairie-clover was used for chewing by several native tribes. It is said to have a pleasant, sweet flavor. The dried leaves have been used as a tea substitute.
Medicinal Uses:
The Montana Indians used a poultice of the steeped bruised leaves to be applied to fresh wounds. The Chippewa Indians made a decoction of the leaves and blossoms to be used in the treatment of heart problems. The Meskwaki Indians used it to treat diarrhea, and they also made an infusion of the roots in the treatment of measles. The Navajo used the plant to treat pneumonia.
Other Uses:
The tough, elastic stems have been made into brooms.
Varieties:
Our specimen belong to var. purpurea Vent., a greenish, sparsely hairy to almost hairless form. |
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