Lespedeza frutescens |
Lespedeza daurica |
|
---|---|---|
shrubby lespedeza, violet bush-clover |
Dahurian lespedeza |
|
Habit | Herbs. | Herbs. |
Stems | ascending or sprawling, clustered, 10–50 cm, branched much of length, sericeous or glabrescent. |
ascending, clustered, 30–100 cm, simple or branched at base, pubescent. |
Leaves | usually 2 sizes, axillary ones subtending racemes much smaller; stipules subulate, 2.5–6 mm; petiole (5–)10–15(–20) mm, longer than rachis; leaflet blades elliptic to narrowly elliptic, apex obtuse or retuse, apiculate, surfaces sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially; laterals similar to terminal, without oblique base; terminal blade 10–30(–40) × 8–22 mm (6–10 mm in axillary leaves), length 1.4–2.5 times width. |
stipules subulate, 3–4 mm; petiole 5–10 mm, longer than rachis; leaflet blades narrowly elliptic, apex obtuse to rounded or retuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent abaxially, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along midrib adaxially, conspicuously reticulate-veined between principle lateral veins abaxially; terminal blade 8–30 × 4–16 mm, length 2–3 times width. |
Racemes | slender, 4–7-flowered, flowers not clustered at apex, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous. |
4–13-flowered, densely flowered, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous, cleistogamous flowers clustered in leaf axils, racemes shorter than to 1–4 times length of subtending leaves. |
Peduncles | usually much longer than subtending leaves, sericeous. |
shorter than or equal to subtending leaves, subsessile or shortly pedunculate, densely pubescent. |
Pedicels | 0.5–3 mm, appressed-puberulent; bracteoles shorter than calyx tube. |
1–2 mm; bracteoles longer than calyx tube. |
Flowers | chasmogamous 6.5–9 mm; calyx 4–6 mm, appressed-puberulent, tube 1–1.2 mm; lobes 4, lateral narrowly triangular, 2.5–3 mm, adaxial connate proximally, apices acuminate; corolla purple; wings 5.5–6.5 mm; keel 6–8 mm. |
chasmogamous 7–8 mm; calyx 4.5–7 mm, tube 1–1.2 mm; lobes 5, lateral narrowly ovate, 4–6 mm, apices acuminate; corolla white or yellowish white; wings 6–6.5 mm; keel 7–7.3 mm; cleistogamous: calyx 3–4 mm, tube 0.5 mm, lobes narrowly deltate. |
Loments | chasmogamous as long as calyx, ovate to rounded, 5–7 mm, cleistogamous exserted from calyx, calyx 1/5 loment length, rounded, 4–5 mm; stipe subsessile. |
body included in calyx, obovate, chasmogamous 3.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, cleistogamous 3–3.7 × 2–2.5 mm; stipe subsessile. |
2n | = 20. |
|
Lespedeza frutescens |
Lespedeza daurica |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Open deciduous, dry upland woodlands, prairie fragments, alluvial woodlands, ruderal areas, limestone or sandy soils. | Roadsides, woodland borders. |
Elevation | 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WV; ON
|
DE; IA; IL; Asia (China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia) [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | The name Lespedeza violacea was widely applied to L. frutescens in the past; however, the type specimen of the basionym (Hedysarum violaceum) represents the species previously called L. intermedia. The result is that the name L. violacea replaces what was called L. intermedia, and L. frutescens must be taken up for this species (J. L. Reveal and F. R. Barrie 1991). Lespedeza frutescens forms natural hybrids with L. capitata, L. hirta, L. procumbens, L. repens, L. stuevei, L. violacea, and L. virginica. Hybrids with L. violacea are common (A. F. Clewell 1966) and have been called L. × acuticarpa Mackenzie & Bush. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Lespedeza daurica has been cultivated in the United States for soil improvement (A. J. Pieters et al. 1950). In the flora area, only a handful of specimens have been collected from widely scattered localities outside of cultivation. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lespedeza | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lespedeza |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Hedysarum frutescens, L. prairea, L. violacea var. divergens, L. violacea var. prairea | Trifolium dauricum |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Hornemann: Hort. Bot. Hafn. 2: 699. (1815) | (Laxmann) Schindler: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 22: 274. (1926) |
Web links |