Lespedeza virginica

(Linnaeus) Britton

Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 12: 64. 1893.

Common names: Slender bush-clover
Basionym: Medicago virginica Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 778. 1753
Synonyms: Lespedeza reticulata (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) Persoon
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 11.

Herbs. Stems ascending or erect, clustered, 30–160 cm, ini­tially wandlike, branched api­cally, villosulous or appressed-pubescent. Leaves: stipules sub­ulate to narrowly triangular, to 6 mm; petiole 7–12 mm, longer than rachis; leaflet blades narrowly elliptic-­oblong to linear, base obtuse or cuneate, apex apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent abaxially, usu­ally sparsely appressed-pubescent, sometimes glabrescent (but not glabrous), adaxially; laterals similar to terminal; ter­minal blade 10–35 × 3–5 mm, length 3–7 times width. Peduncles shorter than or equal to subtending leaves. Racemes 4–14-flowered, crowded ­distally, flowers chas­mogamous and cleistogamous. Pedicels 0.5–2 mm; brac­teoles shorter than calyx tube. Flowers: chasmogamous 5–7 mm; calyx 3–4.5 mm, tube 1 mm; lobes 4, lateral narrowly triangular, 1–1.5 mm, ­adaxial connate prox­imally; corolla pink to purple; wings 5–6 mm; keel 4.5–5 mm. Loments: chasmogamous ­exserted from calyx, suborbicular, 4–7 mm, cleistogamous exserted from calyx, calyx 1/5–2/5 loment length, similar to chasmogamous, 3.5–5 mm; stipe 1 mm. 2n = 20.


Phenology: Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat: Dry upland woodlands, clearings and borders, ruderal sites, old fields, eroded ridges, roadsides, pine barrens, moist savannas, prairie fragments.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.

Distribution

Ont., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis., Mexico (Nuevo León).

Discussion

Lespedeza virginica forms natural hybrids with L. angustifolia, L. capitata, L. frutescens, L. hirta, L. procumbens (L. × brittonii E. P. Bicknell), L. repens, L. stuevei (L. × neglecta Mackenzie & Bush), and L. violacea.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Lespedeza virginica"
Hiroyoshi Ohashi +
(Linnaeus) Britton +
Medicago virginica +
Slender bush-clover +
Ont. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Va. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +  and Mexico (Nuevo León). +
0–1000 m. +
Dry upland woodlands, clearings and borders, ruderal sites, old fields, eroded ridges, roadsides, pine barrens, moist savannas, prairie fragments. +
Flowering late summer–fall. +
Trans. New York Acad. Sci. +
Lespedeza reticulata +
Lespedeza virginica +
Lespedeza +
species +