Prairie lespedeza

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Prairie lespedeza

Prairie lespedeza

Prairie lespedeza leaf

Prairie lespedeza

Prairie lespedeza leaflets

Prairie lespedeza habit

Prairie lespedeza leaf

Prairie lespedeza flowers

Prairie lespedeza

Prairie lespedeza

Prairie lespedeza flowers

Prairie lespedeza habit

Prairie lespedeza flowers

Morphology

Stem

Weakly erect or trailing, several from base, often finely branched, sparsely pubescent.

Leaves

Alternate, pinnately trifoliolate, smaller leaves in axils of larger leaves; stalks of main leaves .5 to 1.5 inches long; terminal leaflet somewhat apart from lateral leaflets; leaflets elliptic, oval, or broadly oblong, 1 to 2 inches long, about 1/2 to 1 inch wide, pale green and sparingly flattened-hairy below, mostly glabrous above; stipules filiform, up to 1/4 inch long.

Inflorescence

Flowers of 2 types; those with petals in racemes less than 2 inches long, loosely few-flowered; those without petals inconspicuous, clustered in axils.

Flower

Stalks up to 1/4 inch long; calyx 1/12 to 1/4 inch long, 5-lobed, upper 2 lobes joined above middle; corolla purple to rose-lavender, 1/4 to 2/5 inch long; keel longer than banner and wing petals.

Fruit

Pod, egg-shaped, up to 1/4 inch long, tapering at both ends, flat, finely-pubescent or nearly glabrous; seed olive or brown, smooth.

Ecology

Habitat

Edges of open upland woods, thickets, rocky prairies, and roadsides; dry, rocky soils.

Distribution

East 1/2 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

White-tailed deer eat prairie lespedeza.