PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER 



Petalostemon purpureus (Vent.) Rydb. 

 PEA FAMILY 



The Purple Prairie Clover is a perennial with a deep, tough, 

 woody root from which grow clustered stems in height from one 

 to three feet. The smaller stems are simple, the larger branched, 

 and each stem or branch is terminated by a short, dense flower- 

 spike. Before the flowers open, early in July, the spike is a soft, 

 pretty shade of gray, with spiral rows of closely packed buds. 

 The lower buds open first, and the circle of bright purple corollas 

 travels upward. The color scheme of the flower is rendered 

 more striking by reason of the deep orange anthers that project 

 beyond the corolla. 



The structure of the flower is so different from the usual pea 

 blossom that young botanists often have difficulty in identifying 

 it. In the first place, it has no keel (formed by the union of the 

 two lower petals). It has, it is true, a banner but represented 

 only by a petal somewhat broader than the rest, the other four 

 being alike. The five stamens are distinct from each other, 

 as compared with the nine or ten more or less united stamens 

 in other members of the family. Then the pod is very short 

 with only one seed. 



The Purple Prairie Clover is found abundantly on dry plains 

 and gravelly hills throughout our territory. It is a typical dry 

 ground plant, almost as much so as the Prairie Pink described 

 and pictured on earlier pages. It has more foliage than the latter 

 plant, but the leaflets are narrow and the edges are rolled inward 

 to protect the under side of the leaves, where the breathing pores 

 are located. Its root also is admirably adapted to withstand 

 drought. 



A white-flowered species, with somewhat broader leaflets and 

 longer flower-spikes, is common in many districts. Two additional 

 ones are also sometimes found the slender white prairie clover 

 and the silky prairie clover. 



