Slender Lespedeza

Plant Profile
	Common Name: Slender Lespedeza Other Names: Slender Bush Clover Species Name: Lespedeza virginica Plant Type: Legume Family Name: Fabaceae, Pea Family

Plant Profile

Common Name: Slender Lespedeza

Other Names: Slender Bush Clover

Species Name: Lespedeza virginica

Plant Type: Legume

Family Name: Fabaceae, Pea Family

Plant Facts
Origin	Native
Duration	Perennial
Distribution in the U.S.	Eastern half and extends westward to southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas and Texas
Distribution in Oklahoma	Eastern half of the state

ID Characteristics

Field Identification Characteristics
Vegetative
- Long leaving stems
- Spreading branches with overlapping small and large leaves
- 3 leaflets per leaf
- Veins of leaves curve away from leaf edge back to midrib in oval pattern
- Leaves narrower than L. capitata or L. cuneata
Floral
- Flowers among leaves; purple or pink in color
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
- Leaf Type: Compound, 1-pinnately
- Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
- Leaf Shape: Linear or narrowly oblong
- Stipules: Present
Floral Characteristics
- Petal Number: 5, fused
- Flower Color: Purple to pink
- Flower Timing: May-October
- Fruit Type: Legumes

Habitat/Ecology
Soil Type	Sandy, loamy and rocky soil
Habitat	Prairies, open woods, roadsides, sandy soils of stream valleys, disturbed soils near construction and logging areas
Successional Stage	Mid to late

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