Herbs. Stems ascending, clus­tered, 30–100 cm, simple or branched at base, pubescent. Leaves: stipules subulate, 3–4 mm; petiole 5–10 mm, lon­ger than rachis; leaflet blades narrowly elliptic, apex obtuse to rounded or retuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent abaxially, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along midrib adaxially, conspicuously reticulate-veined between principle lateral veins abaxially; terminal blade 8–30 × 4–16 mm, length 2–3 times width. Peduncles shorter than or equal to subtending leaves, subsessile or shortly pedunculate, densely pubescent. Racemes 4–13-flowered, densely flowered, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous, cleistogamous flowers clustered in leaf axils, racemes shorter than to 1–4 times length of subtending leaves. Pedicels 1–2 mm; bracteoles longer than calyx tube. Flowers: chasmogamous 7–8 mm; calyx 4.5–7 mm, tube 1–1.2 mm; lobes 5, lateral narrowly ovate, 4–6 mm, apices acuminate; corolla white or yellowish white; wings 6–6.5 mm; keel 7–7.3 mm; cleistogamous: calyx 3–4 mm, tube 0.5 mm, lobes narrowly deltate. Loments: body included in calyx, obovate, chasmogamous 3.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, cleistogamous 3–3.7 × 2–2.5 mm; stipe subsessile.

Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Roadsides, woodland borders.
Elevation: 0–300 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Del., Ill., Iowa, Asia (China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia).

Discussion

Lespedeza daurica has been cultivated in the United States for soil improvement (A. J. Pieters et al. 1950). In the flora area, only a handful of specimens have been collected from widely scattered localities outside of cultivation.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.