Plant of the Week

Purple prairie clover
Petalostemum purpureum (Vent.) Rybd.
scientific name, 2008: Dalea purpurea Vent.
other common names: thimbleweed, red tassel flower


White prairie clover
Petalostemum candidum (Willd.) Michx.
scientific name, 2008: Dalea candida Michx. ex Willd.
other common names: thimbleweed, white tassel flower
Petalostemum: from the Greek, meaning “petal and stamen,” referring to the way the petals and stamens are joined
Purpureum: meaning “purple”
Candidum: meaning “shining white”
Legume family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Photo: Dalea purpurea


Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition