Bloomipedia
Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Purple prairie clover

Dalea purpurea

Native in the lower 48

Purple prairie clover is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

27states
8of our state lists
11,997U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota

Quick look

Dalea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known as purple prairie clover. Native to central North America, purple prairie clover is a relatively common member of the Great Plains and prairie ecosystems. It blooms in the summer with dense spikes of bright purple flowers that attract many species of insects.

  • It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In Minnesota, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
  • In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,583 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #43 among the 110 flowers on our Minnesota list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,373 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #80 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 607 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #37 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist

Purple prairie clover gift ideas

Handmade purple prairie clover gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover art print

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover greeting card

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover mug

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover earrings

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover embroidery pattern

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Purple prairie clover sticker

    Gift pick coming soon

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (982 records)
Bloom time in each of our 8 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
MinnesotaNativeJune–August2,583
IllinoisNativeJune–August2,373
KansasNativefew records607
IowaNativeJune–August498
OklahomaNativefew records371
North DakotaNativeJune–September350
South DakotaNativefew records326
NebraskaNativeJune–September318

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Minnesota
Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. Minn. R. 6134.0300
Illinois
Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. IL E&T checklist 2025
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kansas.
Iowa
Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
North Dakota
No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
South Dakota
No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S1), KY (S2), MI (SX), OH (SX), TN (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “The leaves are used for making tea and medicines, and the roots are palatable when chewed.” NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records purple prairie clover in 27 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Minnesota counties with USDA records: Anoka, Becker, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Isanti, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake of the Woods, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Roseau, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Cook, Cumberland, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Putnam, Randolph, Rock Island, Sangamon, Scott, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Warren, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

More Minnesota flowers

White clover (Trifolium repens)

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MN: May–September
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in MN: May–October
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources