Kummerowia striata

• Attributes:

  Genus:

  Kummerowia

  Species:

  striata

  Family:

  Fabaceae

  Uses (Ethnobotany):

  It is used as forage, hay, and green manure to enrich the soil as it fixes nitrogen.

  Life Cycle:

  Annual

  Recommended Propagation Strategy:

  Seed

  Country Or Region Of Origin:

  Asia

  Distribution:

  Eastern USA

  Wildlife Value:

  Seeds are eaten by game birds and songbirds. The foliage is eaten by deer and other herbivores.

  Edibility:

  Lespedeza is commonly used as forage in pastures. It may be grazed or cut for hay when in 1/2 bloom stage.

• Whole Plant Traits:

  Plant Type:

  Annual

  Weed

  Habit/Form:

  Ascending

  Spreading

  Growth Rate:

  Medium

  Maintenance:

  Medium

  Texture:

  Fine

• Cultural Conditions:

  Light:

  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

• Fruit:

  Fruit Type:

  Legume

  Fruit Length:

  < 1 inch

  Fruit Width:

  < 1 inch

  Fruit Description:

  Fruits are 0.2 inch long legumes and each contain a single seed.

• Flowers:

  Flower Color:

  Pink

  Purple/Lavender

  White

  Flower Inflorescence:

  Head

  Insignificant

  Flower Bloom Time:

  Summer

  Flower Shape:

  Lipped

  Flower Petals:

  4-5 petals/rays

  Flower Size:

  < 1 inch

  Flower Description:

  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.

• Leaves:

  Leaf Color:

  Green

  Leaf Type:

  Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)

  Leaf Arrangement:

  Alternate

  Leaf Shape:

  Elliptical

  Oblong

  Obovate

  Leaf Margin:

  Entire

  Hairs Present:

  No

  Leaf Length:

  < 1 inch

  Leaf Width:

  < 1 inch

  Leaf Description:

  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.

• Stem:

  Stem Color:

  Green

  Purple/Lavender

  Stem Is Aromatic:

  No

  Stem Surface:

  Hairy (pubescent)

  Stem Description:

  The stems are purplish with appressed white hairs that point downward.

• Landscape:

  Resistance To Challenges:

  Drought

  Problems:

  Weedy