Lespedeza stuevei Nutt. (tall
lespedeza, tall bush clover)
Pl. 401 a, b; Map 1774
Plants perennial
herbs. Stems 30–150 cm long, 2–4 mm in diameter near the
base, erect or strongly ascending, unbranched or
relatively few-branched only above the midpoint, densely pubescent with
spreading and sometimes also appressed hairs, the
hairs not confined to longitudinal ridges, sometimes becoming sparsely
pubescent or nearly glabrous toward the base. Primary median leaves with
the petiole mostly relatively long and slender, 5–20 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm wide, densely spreading-hairy. Stipules
3–5 mm long, linear to hairlike. Leaflets
8–20(–50) mm long, 4–15(–20) mm wide (1.3–3.5 times as long as wide), elliptic
to oblong, oblong-obovate, or narrowly obovate, those of the uppermost leaves sometimes oblanceolate, rounded, angled, or tapered at the base,
rounded to truncate at the tip, occasionally broadly pointed or minutely
notched, sometimes appearing grayish-tinged (especially the undersurface), but
lacking a silvery or tawny sheen, the upper surface sparsely to moderately
pubescent with mostly appressed hairs, sometimes
nearly glabrous, the undersurface sparsely to densely appressed-hairy.
Axillary leaves usually well-developed. Inflorescences
axillary from the upper leaves, sometimes appearing as a leafy terminal
cluster, unbranched, relatively dense, shorter than
to slightly longer than the subtending leaves. Flowers mostly 5–15 per
raceme, relatively dense, but the axis usually visible between the flowers.
Calyces with the tube 1–2 mm long, the lobes 2–4 mm long. Corollas 6–7 mm long,
pinkish purple, the banner darker purple toward the base, the wings often pale
with purple tips, the keel also darker purple at the tip, shorter than the
wings. Fruits from open flowers 5–7(–10) mm long, the calyx covering the lower
1/3–1/2; fruits from cleistogamous flowers 4–6 mm
long, the calyx covering the lower 1/4–1/3. Seeds 2.5–3.0 mm
long, brown or purplish black. 2n=20.
July–September.
Scattered south of
the Missouri River (eastern U.S. west to Kansas and Texas). Upland prairies,
sand prairies, glades, dry upland forests, savannas, and banks of streams and
rivers; also old fields and roadsides.
Lespedeza
stuevei is superficially similar to L. capitata
and L. hirta,
but differs in its pinkish purple corollas. The most common hybrids involving
this species include those with L. virginica (L.×neglecta (Britton) Mack.
& Bush) and L. hirta.
The latter hybrid has been confirmed by progeny arrays (Clewell,
1966b).