Common Lespedeza Kummerowia striata
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Lespedeza striata
- Phonetic Spelling
- koom-er-OW-ee-uh stry-AY-tuh
- Description
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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.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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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.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Weed
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Fine
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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
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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.
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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.
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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 ΒΌ-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.
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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.
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Landscape:
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Problems:
- Weedy
