Prairie Bush Clover is an herbaceous perennial, a plant whose growth dies down annually but whose roots or other underground structures survive, that is a member of the legume family. Its native area is Midwest tall grass prairie. This Clover produces one stem that can grow up to a meter, are densely covered with fine hairs, and has a silver tint. Their leaves are pea-shaped, widely spaced throughout the stem, with three leaflets each, and also have a silvery tint. When this plant is mature, it produces pink flowers on that blooms from July to September. This plant is home to different midwestern prairies of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. About 90% of all plants of this species are known to be located in northern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota (Cole & Biesboer 1992). It is often found on hills of the prairies that face north. On said hills, this plant grows in thin soils at the base of rocks and/or gravelly soil. (Bowles and Bell 1999).
How Endangered?
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The 36 known sites are located in 24 different counties in only four states, northern IL, Southern and western WI, Southern MN, and Northern IA. Most populations have a max of 150 individual plants. In history, there are many more occurrences that unfortunately no longer exist due to the passage of time. This particular plant is threatened by the extreme loss and degradation of its habitat within the Midwest region. Most of its natural habitat has been taken for human development and farming. Another factor that has lead to its endangered-ness is the fact that this plant does not compete well against plants of a woody nature (USFWS