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BreadcrumbContributing to the Recovery of Leafy Prairie-Clover in Northeastern   Illinois by Growing Plants from Seed and Planting in Restored  Dolomite Prairie Habitat
      Leafy prairie-clover (*Dalea foliosa*.). Photo by Bill Glass.
        Leafy prairie-clover seedlings. Photo by USDA Forest  Service.
      Leafy Prairie-clover (*Dalea foliosa*) is a Federal  Endangered plant species restricted to three separate regions of the eastern United States: central Tennessee,  north-central Alabama, and northeastern Illinois. A perennial  forb, leafy prairie-clover occurs only in open habitats with thin, calcareous  soils. In Tennessee and Alabama,  the preferred habitat is limestone or dolomite glades, but in Illinois, this plant is restricted to a very  rare plant community, dolomite prairie. Although these habitats are usually not  lost to traditional row crop agriculture because of the rocky and untillable  soil, glades and dolomite prairies are being converted to industrial,  commercial, and residential uses. Lack of management has allowed the remaining  habitat to be lost to woody encroachment and non-native, invasive plants,  including teasel, buckthorn, and bluegrass. Other contributing factors in this  species decline are rock quarrying and over-collecting.
      There are seven surviving populations of leafy  prairie-clover in northeastern Illinois,  including one on Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  The populations range in size from a few hundred to several thousand  individuals. Not all of these populations are protected, however, and records  indicate that several additional, historically known populations have been  extirpated. All these sites are or were once dolomite prairies.
      Not all dolomite prairie remnants in Illinois still support leafy prairie-clover.  These areas are suitable and some supported leafy prairie-clover in the past. There  are opportunities to restore dolomite prairie at several locations in  northeastern Illinois,  including Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. There are over one thousand acres  that were once dolomite prairie on Midewin and other public lands; much of the land  is available for restoration to its original condition. Some of this land, once  restored, has the potential to support leafy prairie-clover. However,  restoration of this species presents challenges, in part because small  population sizes and past bottlenecks have contributed to reduced genetic  diversity. Although it is relatively easy to grow from seed, leafy  prairie-clover is difficult to establish in restored habitat. Most previous  attempts at establishing new populations have not been especially successful.
      Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie has facilities for  propagating and handling native plants and their seeds as part of its  ecological restoration program. The staff has considerable experience  propagating a wide range of native plant materials and establishing these  plants in restored habitats. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife  Service (Chicago Field Office), the U.S. Forest Service is now propagating  leafy prairie-clover for out planting on restored dolomite prairies managed by  the Forest Preserve District of Will County, the Department of the Army (Joliet  Training Area), Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Forest Preserve  District of Kane County, and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Seed has been  gathered from all seven surviving local populations. These sources will be used  to contribute to the new populations, resulting in large, restored populations  with greater genetic diversity than the sources. At least six potential sites  for out planting leafy prairie-clover have been identified. Plants not used in  these out plantings will be used in a seed increase program at Midewin. Seeds  from these plants will also be made available to partners for future out plantings  and enhancement of existing populations. These new populations will contribute  to the recovery of leafy prairie-clover in northeastern Illinois.
      Project Partners
      USDA Forest Service, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
        U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Chicago Field Office)
        Department of the Army (Joliet Training Area)
        Illinois Department of Natural Resources
        Forest Preserve District of Kane  County
        Forest Preserve District of Will  County
      
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