Illinois Bundle Flower - Desmanthus illinoensis

Common Name: Illinois Bundle Flower
Scientific Name: Desmanthus illinoensis
Sun Conditions: Full Sun
Soil Conditions: Dry to Medium Moist
Height Range: 2-3 ft
Width Range: 2-3 ft
Ht. Min: 2 ft
Ht. Max: 3 ft
Width Min: 2 ft
Width Max: 3 ft
Growth Habit: Upright
Growth Rate: Medium
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Summer to Fall, June
Seed/Fruit Production: Yes
Foliage Color: Green
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Evergreen: No (herbaceous perennial; dies back to the ground each winter — see note on Category)
Deer Resistant: No — highly palatable to deer, rabbits, and livestock (a valued forage legume); NOT deer resistant
Poisonous: No significant toxicity to humans/livestock reported. (Root bark contains trace tryptamine alkaloids used historically in a hallucinogenic brew, but this is not a practical hazard.)
Wildlife Value Highlights: Seeds eaten by upland gamebirds (pheasant, quail, prairie chicken) and small mammals; nectar for small bees and flies; host for Northern/Southern Cloudywing Skippers; foliage is high-protein forage for deer, pronghorn, livestock
Ecological/Landscape Use: Prairie restoration, erosion control, nitrogen-fixing cover crop/soil builder
Lepidoptera Supported by Species or Family/Group: Northern Cloudywing, Southern Cloudywing
Lepidoptera Supported by Species or Family/Group (SORTABLE): Thorybes pylades, Thorybes bathyllus