|
Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
|
|
Introductory
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
ABBREVIATION :
DALPUR
SYNONYMS :
Petalostemon purpureus (Vent.) Rydb.
SCS PLANT CODE :
DAPU5
COMMON NAMES :
purple prairie clover
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for purple prairie clover is
Dalea purpurea Vent. Formerly, the species was regarded as Petalostemon
purpureus, but a 1970 taxonomic revision of the genus Petalostemon
placed purple prairie clover in the genus Dalea. Recognized varieties
are as follows [14]:
D. purpurea var. purpurea
D. purpurea var. arenicola (Wemple) Barneby
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Milo Coladonato, February 1993
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Coladonato, Milo. Dalea purpurea. 1993. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Purple prairie clover is distributed throughout the Great Plains. It is
indigenous from southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and
Manitoba south to Texas and New Mexico and east to Illinois, Arkansas,
and Missouri. It occurs infrequently westward to eastern Montana,
Colorado, and Wyoming [14,18,30].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
STATES :
AR CO IL IN IA KS MN MS MO MT
NE NM ND OK SD TN TX WY AB MB
SK
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
BADL BICA BUFF CACA DETO EFMO
FLFO GUMO INDU JECA NATR OZAR
PIPE ROMO THRO WICA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K084 Cross Timbers
K098 Northern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
14 Northern pin oak
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
42 Bur oak
46 Eastern redcedar
53 White oak
62 Silver maple - American elm
64 Sassafras - persimmon
93 Sugarberry - American elm - green ash
94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
95 Black willow
110 Black oak
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Purple prairie clover is excellent forage for livestock and wildlife and
may be an important component of upland prairie hay [30,31].
PALATABILITY :
Purple prairie clover is palatable to livestock as well as to
white-tailed deer and wild turkey [6]. Palatability of purple prairie
clover in two western states has been rated as follows [8]:
CO ND
cattle good fair
sheep good good
horses fair fair
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Purple prairie clover is highly nutritious. It has a high protein
content, particularly in new growth [6]. Crude and digestible protein
content of purple prairie clover are as follows [21]:
crude protein 14.1 %
digestible protein - cattle 9.9 %
goats 9.7 %
horses 9.5 %
rabbits 9.6 %
sheep 10.1 %
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Purple prairie clover is used in grass and forb seed mixtures for
stabilization of disturbed sites such as mine spoils, road cuts, and
overgrazed rangelands [4,27,28]. It is valuable for erosion control due
to its deep, fibrous, branching root system. It is often seeded with
grass mixtures because of its nitrogen-fixing ability [5].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
American Indians ate fresh and boiled purple prairie clover leaves.
Bruised leaves were steeped in water and applied to open wounds. The
Ponca chewed the leaves for their flavor and made tea from the leaves,
and the Pawnee used the stems to make brooms [12,31].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Purple prairie clover decreases in response to grazing [4,26]. The
terminal growing points are within reach of the grazing animals soon
after growth begins and are thus quite susceptible to injury by grazing
or mowing [9].
Survival and growth of purple prairie clover seedlings is decreased in
the presence of allelopathic species such as western ragweed (Ambrosia
psilostachya), common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), and smooth
brome (Bromus inermis) [24].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Purple prairie clover is a perennial forb 8 to 35 inches (20-90 cm)
tall. Usually there are one to three branches per stem, but sometimes
10 to 12 branches may arise from a single stem. The mature purple
prairie clover develops a strong taproot 5.5 to 6.5 feet (1.7-2.0 m)
deep. The taproot gives rise to several minutely branched lateral
roots. The fruit is a one-seeded pod enclosed in bracts [1,5,14,28].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Purple prairie clover reproduces by seed [7,15]. Good seed crops are
produced about every 2 years, with some seeds produced every year [3].
Bjugstad and Whitman [3] reported that a temperature of 41 degrees
Fahrenheit (5 deg C) is required to break seed dormancy.
Documentation of this species' ability to sprout is scant. Nuzzo [22],
however, reports that purple prairie clover seedlings that appeared dead
due to water loss sent up new shoots within a few weeks when watered
heavily.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Purple prairie clover grows on a variety of sites including dry plains,
prairies, hillsides, open woodlands, shaded ravines, and roadsides. It
occurs on mesic sites in mixed and tallgrass prairies of the northern
and central Great Plains and the shortgrass prairie of the southern
Great Plains [4,14,23]. Where mean annual precipitation is less than 15
inches (380 mm) purple prairie clover occurs infrequently. It develops
best where mean annual precipitation is 15 inches or more [33].
Some common associates of purple prairie clover include prairie gentian
(Gentiana puberula), prairie compass plant (Silphium laciniatum),
leadplant (Amorpha canescens), pitcher sage (Salvia azurea), blue false
indigio (Baptisia minor), tall gray feather (Liatris scariosa), and
yellow swetclover (Melilotus officinalis). Associated grasses include
little bluestem (Schizachynum scoparium) switch grass (Pancium
virgatum), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and big bluestem
(Andropogon geradii) [16,36].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Obligate Climax Species
Purple prairie clover is part of the mixed prairie climax vegetation of
several grassland communities [39]. It is moderately shade tolerant but
can also grow on recently disturbed open areas [27,34].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Purple prairie clover begins vegetative growth at the same time as
prairie grasses early in the spring, but purple prairie clover soon
exceeds the grasses in height [37,38]. Purple prairie clover begins to
flower in late May to July when the plant is about 2 feet (60 cm) high.
Seeds mature in July and August [17,18,36].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Purple prairie clover is generally favored by fire. Purple prairie
clover is usually present in increased numbers following fire because
fire stimulates the germination of soil-stored seed [2,7,32,33,36].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
The aerial portions of purple prairie clover are damaged or killed by
fire.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Purple prairie clover is generally considered an increaser following
fire [2,13,23]. Fire stimulates seed germination; sprouting from the
caudex is also possible [3,36]. Data pertaining to postfire density,
frequency, or growth rates of purple prairie clover were not found in
the literature.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Biennial spring burning favors purple prairie clover, while annual
burning favors prairie grasses and results in a decrease in purple
prairie clover and other forbs [33].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover
REFERENCES :
1. Bare, Janet E. 1979. Wildflowers and weeds of Kansas. Lawrence, KS: The
Regents Press of Kansas. 509 p. [3801]
2. Bidwell, Terrence G.; Engle, David M.; Claypool, P. Larry. 1990. Effects
of spring headfires and backfires on tallgrass prairie. Journal of Range
Management. 43(3): 209-212. [11141]
3. Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Whitman, Warren C. 1982. Perennial forbs for
wildlife habitat restoration on mined lands in the northern Great
Plains. In: Western proceedings, 62nd annual conference of the Western
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; 1982 July 19-22; Las Vegas,
Nevada. [Place of publication unknown]: [Publisher unknown]: 257-271. On
file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station, Fire Sciences Lab, Missoula, MT. [2932]
4. Brown, Lauren. 1985. The Audobon Society nature guides: Grasslands. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 606 p. [4561]
5. Burton, Joseph C. 1972. Nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation by
prairie legumes. In: Zimmerman, James H., ed. Proceedings, 2nd Midwest
prairie conference; 1970 September 18-20; Madison, WI. Madison, WI:
University of Wisconsin Arboretum: 116-121. [2909]
6. Crawford, Hewlette S.; Kucera, Clair L.; Ehrenreich, John H. 1969. Ozark
range and wildlife plants. Agric. Handb. 356. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 236 p. [18602]
7. Cull, Margaret Irene. 1978. Establishing prairie vegetation along
highways in the Peoria area. In: Glenn-Lewin, David C.; Landers, Roger
Q., Jr., eds. Proceedings, 5th Midwest prairie conference; 1976 August
22-24; Ames, IA. Ames, IA: Iowa State University: 172-177. [3378]
8. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
9. Ehrenreich, John H.; Aikman, John M. 1963. An ecological study of the
effect on certain management practices on native prairie in Iowa.
Ecological Monographs. 33(2): 113-130. [9]
10. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
11. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
12. Gilmore, Melvin Randolph. 1919. Uses of plants by the Indians of the
Missouri River region. 33rd Annual Report. Washington, DC: Bureau of
American Ethnology. 154 p. [6928]
13. Glenn-Lewin, David C.; Johnson, Louise A.; Jurik, Thomas W.; [and
others]. 1990. Fire in central North American grasslands: vegetative
reproduction, seed germination, and seedling establishment. In: Collins,
Scott L.; Wallace, Linda L., eds. Fire in North American tallgrass
prairies. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press: 28-45. [14194]
14. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
15. Halinar, Marlene. 1981. Germination studies and purity determinations on
native Wisconsin prairie seeds. In: Stuckey, Ronald L.; Reese, Karen J.,
eds. The Prairie Peninsula--in the "shadow" of Transeau: Proceedings,
6th North American prairie conference; 1978 August 12-17; Columbus, OH.
Ohio Biological Survey Biological Notes No. 15. Columbus, OH: Ohio State
University, College of Biological Sciences: 227-231. [3433]
16. Harrington, George; Capel, Stephen. 1978. Effects of a water resource
development project on native prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas. In:
Glenn-Lewin, David C.; Landers, Roger Q., Jr., eds. Proceedings, 5th
Midwest prairie conference; 1976 August 22-24; Ames, IA. Ames, IA: Iowa
State University: 166-168. [3371]
17. Hurd, Richard M.; Christisen, Donald M. 1975. Ecology study of Friendly
Prairie, Missouri. In: Wali, Mohan K., ed. Prairie: a multiple view.
Grand Forks, ND: University of North Dakota Press: 89-102. [4432]
18. Johnson, James R.; Nichols, James T. 1970. Plants of South Dakota
grasslands: A photographic study. Bull. 566. Brookings, SD: South Dakota
State University, Agricultural Experiment Station. 163 p. [18501]
19. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
20. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
21. National Academy of Sciences. 1971. Atlas of nutritional data on United
States and Canadian feeds. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
772 p. [1731]
22. Nuzzo, Victoria. 1978. Propagation and planting of prairie forbs and
grasses in southern Wisconsin. In: Glenn-Lewin, David C.; Landers, Roger
Q., Jr., eds. Proceedings, 5th Midwest prairie conference; 1976 August
22-24; Ames, IA. Ames, IA: Iowa State University: 182-189. [3379]
23. Pemble, R. H.; Van Amburg, G. L.; Mattson, Lyle. 1981. Intraspecific
variation in flowering activity following a spring burn on a
northwestern Minnesota prairie. In: Stuckey, Ronald L.; Reese, Karen J.,
eds. The prairie peninsula--in the "shadow" of Transeau: Proceedings,
6th North American prairie conference; 1978 August 12-17; Columbus, OH.
Ohio Biological Survey: Biological Notes No. 15. Columbus, OH: Ohio
State University, College of Biological Sciences: 235-240. [3435]
24. Peterson, Gary. 1981. Allelopathic associations and their effect on
native legumes. In: Stuckey, Ronald L.; Reese, Karen J., eds. The
Prairie Peninsula--in the "shadow" of Transeau: Proceedings of the sixth
North American prairie conference; 1978 August 12-17; Columbus, OH. Ohio
Biological Survey Biological Notes No. 15. Columbus, OH: Ohio State
University, College of Biological Sciences: 211-212. [3409]
25. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
26. Risser, P. G.; Birney, E. C.; Blocker, H. D.; [and others]. 1981. The
true prairie ecosystem. US/IBP Synthesis Series 16. Stroudsburg, PA:
Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company. 557 p. [16874]
27. Schramm, Peter; Kalvin, Richard L. 1978. The use of prairie in strip
mine reclamation. In: Glenn-Lewin, David C.; Landers, Roger Q., Jr.,
eds. Proceedings, 5th Midwest prairie conference; 1976 August 22-24;
Ames, IA. Ames, IA: Iowa State University: 151-153. [3369]
28. Sharp Bros. Seed Co. 1989. Catalog of wildflowers and forbs. Amarillo,
TX: Sharp Bros. Seed Co. 20 p. [18001]
29. Sharp Bros. Seed Co. 1989. Grasses and forbs for erosion control. Fact
Sheet. Amarillo, TX: Sharp Bros. Seed Co. 2 p. [18015]
30. Stubbendiek, James; Conard, Elverne C. 1989. Common legumes of the Great
Plains: an illustrated guide. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
330 p. [11049]
31. Stubbendieck, James; Nichols, James T.; Butterfield, Charles H. 1989.
Nebraska range and pasture forbs and shrubs (including succulent
plants). Extension Circular 89-118. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska,
Nebraska Cooperative Extension. 153 p. [10168]
32. Bulinska-Radomska, Z.; Lester, R. N. 1986. Species relationships in
Festuca (Sect. Ovinae, Poaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution.
154(3-4): 175-182. [7532]
33. Svedarsky, W. D.; Buckley, P. E.; Feiro, T. A. 1986. The effect of 13
years of annual burning on an aspen-prairie ecotone in northwestern
Minnesota. In: Clambey, Gary K.; Pemble, Richard H., eds. The prairie:
past, present and future: Proceedings, 9th North American prairie
conference; 1984 July 29 - August 1; Moorhead, MN. Fargo, ND:
Tri-College University Center for Environmental Studies: 118-122.
[3540]
34. Tilman, David. 1986. Nitrogen-limited growth in plants from different
successional stages. Ecology. 67(2): 555-563. [2809]
35. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
36. Wasser, Clinton H. 1982. Ecology and culture of selected species useful
in revegetating disturbed lands in the West. FWS/OBS-82/56. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 347 p.
[4837]
37. Weaver, J. E. 1968. Prairie plants and their environment: A fifty-year
study in the Midwest. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. 276 p.
[17546]
38. Weaver, J. E.; Albertson, F. W. 1956. Grasslands of the Great Plains.
Lincoln, NE: Johnsen Publishing Company. 395 p. [2463]
39. Weaver, J. E.; Fitzpatrick, T. J. 1934. The prairie. Ecological
Monographs. 4(2): 111-295. [2464]
Index
Related categories for Species: Dalea purpurea
| Purple Prairie Clover
|
 |
