Description: Hairy Prairie Clover is a perennial species of the Fabaceae or Pea family. The plant’s stems grow along the ground to lengths of 30 to 60 centimetres. The foliage has dense, long hairs which give the plant a velvety texture. A woody tap root anchors the plant. The leaves are alternate, crowded and are between three and five centimeters long. Each leaf consists of an odd number between 11 and 21 leaflets clustered near the tip of the leaf stalk in a near circle or fan shape. Leaflets are elliptical in shape, five to 11 millimeters long.

The flowers are pale rose-purple or rarely white. Each flower has a single petal four to six millimetres long by two millimetres broad. It is somewhat heart-shaped at the top but narrows to a slender stalk at the base which attaches inside the calyx. Four additional narrow petal-like structures are attached between the five stamens and these petals form a tube at the base. The flowers are grouped in cylindrical spikes at the stem and branch ends on stalks up to 2.5 centimetres. The dense flower spikes lengthen to three to 12 centimetres long and 0.7 to one centimetre across. The plant forms egg-shaped pods that are three millimetres long.

Status: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed Hairy Prairie Clover as threatened in 2000. Listed as an endangered species in Saskatchewan in The Wild Species at Risk Regulations, Hairy Prairie Clover is protected on private, provincial and federal lands under part V of The Wildlife Act.

In Canada, the only populations of Hairy Prairie Clover exist in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Saskatchewan population occurs south of Saskatoon and consists of only a few hundred plants. The site near Mortlach/Caron has had a population of under a hundred plants when partially survey in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In Manitoba, Hairy Prairie Clover is found in the southwest corner of the province in the Lauder Sand Hills, Spruce Woods Provincial Park, Spirit Sands and the Camp Shilo Military Reserve. Two Manitoba populations have already been lost and the current provincial population is estimated at a few thousand.

Distribution of Hairy Prairie Clover in the United States spans from Michigan to Montana, south to New Mexico and Central Texas. The plant is recognized as endangered in Montana, Michigan and Iowa.

Maps North American Distribution of Hairy Prairie Clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) (adapted from Environment Canada, 2000, [Online], and Smith, 1997)

Distribution of Hairy Prairie Clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) in Saskatchewan (adapted from Environment Canada, 2000, [Online], and Smith, 1997)

Habitat: Hairy Prairie Clover is found in the Mixed Grassland Region within Canada. The plant is only found in sand hill communities where rapid soil drainage and sun exposure are present. Hairy Prairie Clover may be found on partially stabilized sand, but some degree of drifting sand must usually be present in order for the plant to grow.

The dune blowouts at Mortlach, Saskatchewan have been stabilized for some time. The population seems to be stable even with sheep grazing. Monitoring is required. A grazing regime being used rotates the season when the pastures are used. This allows flowering and seed production to occur in at least some years.

Life Cycle: Hairy Prairie is a perennial species that flowers from late July to August and sets seed in late August to September. This year (August 2000), most pods had fallen from the plants well before the end of August. Wind and small mammals play a part in seed dispersal.

Limiting Factors and Recovery Needs: It is generally thought that loss of habitat is the major factor causing the decline of Hairy Prairie Clover. In Saskatchewan, this is not the case as the sand dunes are generally not cultivated for crops.

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an exotic weed that is currently threatening the Lauder Sand Hills’ population in Manitoba. Leafy Spurge spreads very quickly and once established, it excludes other forms of vegetation.

Regulation on development of Hairy Prairie Clover sand dune habitat would prevent possible conversion to crop land. Management of the habitat should also include preventing sand dune stabilization by vegetation.

Recovery Efforts: There is currently no national recovery plan for Hairy Prairie Clover.

Manitoba is presently conducting research on the species. The Manitoba Conservation Data Center is currently monitoring the plant’s range, life cycle in relationship to the climate and its environment (the plant’s phenology), population size and area, reproduction and threats to population.

In Saskatchewan, the plant has been protected since 1999 under part V of The Wildlife Act. The Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre is currently monitoring the known Mortlach Sandhills population, recording phenology and planning an inventory of known populations and sites for 2001.

Important: All endangered species including plants are protected in The Wild Species at Risk Regulations, under part V of The Wildlife Act. Hairy Prairie Clover is protected on private, provincial and federal lands. It is unlawful to pick or collect endangered plants, or seeds of endangered plants, without a special permit.

In many cases, the entire ecosystem is endangered and not just a specific species. These ecosystems are fragile and must remain undisturbed. The continued survival of all endangered species relies on protecting the habitats of the species at risk as well as the species themselves.

If you find Hairy Prairie Clover growing in the wild, please contact the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Center online at www.biodiversity.sk.ca.

Selected References: Please contact your local library or visit the Internet sites below for more information on Hairy Prairie Clover. Hairy Prairie Clover.

Environment Canada. 1999. Hairy Prairie Clover. [Online]
     http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/Species/English/SearchDetail.cfm?SpeciesID=533

Environment Canada. 2000. All species at risk (Map). [Online]
     http://www.sis.ec.gc.ca/cgi.eas/endanew.exe
     Date visited: 21/07/00

Smith, Bonnie. 1997. Status report on hairy prairie clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa). The Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 27pp.