Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Ascending or loosely spreading, 1 to several, usually branched above, densely silky.
- Leaves
- Alternate, crowded, short-stalked, odd-pinnately compound, .75 to 1.5 inch long, .5 to 1 inch wide, densely covered with soft silky hairs; leaflets 11-21, elliptic, .25 to .5 inch long, less than .1 inch wide; margins entire; tips blunt.
- Inflorescence
- Spikes, cylindric, 1 to 4.5 inches long, densely flowered, terminal; tips sometimes drooping.
- Flower
- Calyces 5-lobed, densely hairy, subtended by linear-lanceolate bracts; corollas papilionaceous, petals pink, lavender, or white; stamens 5, filaments united.
- Fruit
- Pods, silky-hairy; seeds 1, small, smooth, brown.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Dry prairies, stream valleys, and open woodlands, on very sandy soils.
- Distribution
- Principally central 1/3 and southwest corner of Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
Silky prairie clover has reddish orange roots and grows in dense clumps. In Latin, villosus means "hairy" or "shaggy".
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Fabaceae - Bean Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 8-20 inches
- Last Updated
- 2007-09-07
Color Groups
Pink, Red & Orange Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: June, July, August