Purple Prairie Clover vs Yellow Mountain Avens - TreeTime.ca

Purple Prairie Clover vs Yellow Mountain Avens

Dalea purpurea

Dryas drummondii

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Purple Prairie Clover
Yellow Mountain Avens

Purple Prairie Clover is a native perennial wildflower known for its striking purple blooms. The flower heads grow as dense spikes on tall stems, with each flower head containing many tiny blossoms. Blooming for 4–6 weeks in the summer, it attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

The high protein content of the Purple Prairie Clover makes it excellent forage for wildlife and birds like to feed on its seeds. As a nitrogen-fixing plant, it enriches the soil, improving fertility and benefiting nearby vegetation. These ecological contributions make it a great choice for pollinator gardens, prairie & rangeland restoration, naturalization, and re-vegetation efforts.

This drought and heat-tolerant plant thrives in various soil conditions, including rocky soil, making it remarkably easy to grow in challenging environments. As a perennial, it dies back to the crown each winter, it will regrow from the base in the spring. Avoid disturbing the crown during late winter to ensure healthy growth the following season.

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Purple Prairie Clover Quick Facts

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: none


Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Flowers: purple flowers in dense cone-like heads
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Bloom time: mid summer
Bloom time: spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Other Names: violet prairie-clover
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad