The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

hairy bush-clover, hairy bush-clover or lespedeza, hairy lespedeza

narrow-leaf bush-clover, narrowleaf lespedeza

Habit Herbs. Herbs, woody at base.
Stems

erect or ascending, 80–200 cm, branched distally, short appressed-pubescent, pilose, or villous.

erect or ascending, 50–100(–150) cm, branched throughout or only distally, appressed- or ascending-pubescent or glabrescent.

Leaves

stipules subulate to narrowly triangular, 3–6 mm;

petiole 10–15(–20) mm, longer than rachis;

leaflet blades ovate-elliptic, obovate, or rounded, apex obtuse or retuse, minutely apiculate, surfaces green, cinereous, or silvery abaxially, sparsely to densely sericeous abaxially, glabrous, sericeous, pilose, or silvery with fine, dense, appressed-silky hairs adaxially;

terminal blade 10–40(–50) × (7–)10–30 mm, length 1.3–1.8 times width.

stipules subulate, 2–4 mm;

petiole 1–3 mm, equaling or longer than rachis;

leaflet blades usually narrowly oblong, rarely elliptic-oblong, with swollen, whitish reticulate veins adaxially, apex apiculate, surfaces densely sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

laterals without oblique base;

terminal blade 20–45 × 2–7 mm, length 4–8 times width.

Racemes

10–40-flowered, axillary from distal leaves or clustered in compound inflorescences, flowers compact to lax, axis and pedicels visible, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous.

10–20+-flowered, densely flowered, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous, racemes shorter than to 1–4 times length of subtending leaves.

Peduncles

longer than subtending leaves.

longer (1–2 times) than subtending leaves.

Pedicels

1–2 mm;

bracteoles longer than calyx tube.

1–2 mm;

bracteoles longer than calyx tube.

Flowers

chasmogamous 7–10 mm;

calyx 7–10 mm, pubescent, tube 1–2 mm;

lobes 5, lateral narrowly triangular, 7–8 mm, apices spinelike;

corolla cream-white or creamy with pink or purple at throat;

wings 6–7 mm;

keel 5–6 mm.

chasmogamous 5.5–7 mm;

calyx 5.5–7 mm, densely pubescent, tube 1.5–2 mm;

lobes 5, lateral narrowly deltate, 4–5 mm, apices spinelike;

corolla white to cream;

wings 5.5–6.5 mm;

keel 5–5.3 mm.

Loments

chasmogamous slightly included in calyx, ovate-oblong, 6–8 × 4–5 mm, cleistogamous slightly included in calyx, oblong, 6 × 4 mm;

stipe subsessile.

chasmogamous included in calyx, rounded, 4–5 mm, cleistogamous similar to chasmogamous, densely strigose;

stipe subsessile.

Lespedeza hirta

Lespedeza angustifolia

Phenology Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Open, moist woodlands and borders, pine flatlands, mixed or deciduous wood­lands, savannas, swales, boggy areas, sandy oak-wire grass ridges, railroads, roadsides.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; MA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Lespedeza hirta forms natural hybrids with L. angustifolia, L. capitata, L. frutescens, L. procumbens, L. repens, L. stuevei, L. violacea, and L. virginica. Hybrids with L. violacea have been called L. × nuttallii Darlington, and offspring from Indiana plants of L. × nuttallii show morphologies that range from one parental species to the other. Other purple-petaled species may hybridize with L. hirta to produce offspring similar to the morphology of L. × nuttallii (D. Isely 1998).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Lespedeza angustifolia is primarily a species of the Atlantic Coastal Plain with scattered occurrences inland.

Lespedeza angustifolia forms natural hybrids with L. capitata, L. hirta, L. repens, L. stuevei, and L. virginica. Hybrids with L. hirta are common (A. F. Clewell 1966) and have been described as varieties of L. hirta (var. appressipilis S. F. Blake, var. intercursa Fernald, and var. oblongifolia Britton).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaflet adaxial surface glabrous, strigose, or pilose; stems villous or pilose.
subsp. hirta
1. Leaflet adaxial surface silvery with fine, dense, appressed-silky hairs; stems appressed-pubescent or densely short-pilose.
subsp. curtissii
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lespedeza Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lespedeza
Sibling taxa
L. angustifolia, L. bicolor, L. capitata, L. cuneata, L. cyrtobotrya, L. daurica, L. frutescens, L. leptostachya, L. procumbens, L. repens, L. stuevei, L. texana, L. thunbergii, L. violacea, L. virginica
L. bicolor, L. capitata, L. cuneata, L. cyrtobotrya, L. daurica, L. frutescens, L. hirta, L. leptostachya, L. procumbens, L. repens, L. stuevei, L. texana, L. thunbergii, L. violacea, L. virginica
Subordinate taxa
L. hirta subsp. curtissii, L. hirta subsp. hirta
Synonyms Hedysarum hirtum L. capitata var. angustifolia, L. angustifolia var. brevifolia
Name authority (Linnaeus) Hornemann: Hort. Bot. Hafn. 2: 699. (1815) (Pursh) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 2: 206. (1822)
Web links