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Owl clover or Purple owl clover

In years of abundant rainfall, owl clover makes up the purple component of the carpets of color formed by annual wildflowers in the desert.

Annual wildflower, usually low growing, with numerous stems closely covered with hairy, very narrow leaves. Purplish-pink flowers are really a tight cluster of small flowers and leaf-like bracts that cause the plant to resemble clover. The actual flowers are hidden by the bracts and are usually purple, tipped with yellow. Seeds ripen in small capsules. Owl clover occurs in huge, dense stands after especially wet winters.


QuickFacts Description Growth Forms: Annual, Wildflower. Mature Height: 6-8 inches Mature Width: 3-6 inches Predominant Flower Color: Purple Flowering Seasons: Spring (mid February - April) Gardening Planting Zone: Arid or natural zone Water Use: Low - Moderate Exposure: Full Sun Hardy to: Hardy, but threshold unknown Planting Season: Fall (October - November) Growth Rate: Fast Availability: Seed is normally commonly available. In the Wild Habitat: Open mesas and slopes in deserts and grasslands. Elevation: 1500 to 4500 feet Native Range: Western and southern Arizona, California, and Baja.

Landscape Use: Native Plant Garden, Natural Area, Wildflower Patch.

Owl clover is especially attractive tucked into gravelly or rocky areas of desert gardens. It is a component of the classic Sonoran Desert palette of spring wildflower color along with Mexican gold poppy, Parry penstemon, brittlebush, and lupine.

Planting Tips: Sow seed in the early fall in soil that has been soaked to a depth of several inches, a day or two ahead. Amendments are not necessary. Rake lightly to cover seed. Quick-draining soils such as sand, loam, or even gravelly soil are ideal. Don’t allow the seedbed to dry out at any time until seedlings sprout.

Gardening Tips: Owl clover seedlings respond to minimum moisture after plants are established. Avoid crowding young plants with other wildflowers; thin other species away if you can. Owl clover plants are partial parasites on the roots of shrubs in the Sunflower Family (like brittlebush)—this means they obtain some of their nutrients this way. Companion planting is important and you can sow owl clover with native grasses or other annual wildflowers. Like most desert wildflowers, they respond well to gravelly mulches and do well sown around rocks.

Problems: None known.

Attracting Wildlife

Names

pronounced cass-til-LAY-yah
Common Names: Owl clover, Purple owl clover
Spanish Names: Escobita (whisk-broom)
Former Names: Orthocarpus purpurascens

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