Lespedeza is a summer annual weed in the bean family. It occurs in fields, open woods, roadsides and other disturbed sites. The preference is full sun, mesic conditions, and sandy soil, although other soil types are tolerated. It has been used in pastures for forage and hay and for nitrogen fixation in soils.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The alternate compound leaves are trifoliate with leaflets being ¼-1" long and about one-third to one-half as much across. The leaflets are broadly oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate in shape and margins are entire.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower form
Head; Insignificant
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
1/4 inch long 5 petaled flowers appear in the leaf axils in groups of 1-3. They can be upright or horizontal. The shape is similar to pea flowers with the lower petal being pink or purple and the to smaller upper petals are white. Bloom time is mid-summer for 1-2 months.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruits are 0.2 inch long legumes and each contain a single seed.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
The stems are purplish with appressed white hairs that point downward.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Asia
Distribution
Eastern USA
Wildlife value
Seeds are eaten by game birds and songbirds. The foliage is eaten by deer and other herbivores.
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Legume
Edibility
Lespedeza is commonly used as forage in pastures. It may be grazed or cut for hay when in 1/2 bloom stage.
Uses (ethnobotany)
It is used as forage, hay, and green manure to enrich the soil as it fixes nitrogen.