Purpletassles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dalea gattingeri |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: |
Dalea
|
| Species: |
D. gattingeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dalea gattingeri (A. Heller) Barneby
|
|
Dalea gattingeri, often called purpletassles or Gattinger prairie clover, is a special flowering plant. It belongs to the legume family, which includes plants like peas and beans. This plant grows naturally in the southeastern United States.
You can mostly find it in unique places called cedar glades. These are rocky, open areas with limestone soil. It lives in states like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Arkansas. Even though it's found in a few states, its groups are often small and spread out. Many of them are in the Nashville Basin in Tennessee.
Meet the Purpletassles Plant
Purpletassles is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It comes back year after year! In the summer, it shows off beautiful purple flowers. These flowers look a bit like tassels, which is how it got its common name, "purpletassles."
Where Does Purpletassles Live?
Purpletassles loves to grow in a special type of habitat called cedar glades. These glades are open, sunny areas. They have thin soil over limestone rock. This kind of environment can be tough for many plants. But purpletassles is well-suited to it.
The plant's populations are often small. They are also spread out across the landscape. This means that groups of purpletassles plants are not always close together. Most of these groups are found in the Nashville Basin area.
How Does Purpletassles Grow?
This plant has a cool way of protecting its space. It produces special chemicals. These chemicals can stop other plants from growing too close. This is called allelopathy. It's like the plant is sending out a signal. This signal tells other plants, "Hey, this spot is taken!" For example, it can slow down the growth of a nearby plant called Minuartia patula. This helps purpletassles get enough sunlight and nutrients.
