Lespedeza bicolor

Two-colored bush clover ( Lespedeza bicolor)

The two- colored bush clover ( Lespedeza bicolor ) is a species in the genus bush clover ( Lespedeza ). It is native to East Asia, and is occasionally used as ornamental tree.

Description

The plant is an upright growing shrub that is one to three feet high. The branches are slightly hairy. The leaves are in three parts, the middle leaflet is 1.5 to 6 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide. The underside of the leaves are light green and hairy.

The purple flowers appear from July to September in long, axillary, arching panicles. The cup is 0.5 cm long, the free Zipefel are short. The petals reach 1 cm in length, they are colored purple or rarely white. The single-seeded, hairy bush is 1 × 0.5 cm in size and is asymmetric reverse- egg-shaped.

Dissemination

The two- colored bush clover is widely used in China, as well as in neighboring Russia, Japan, Korea and possibly in Mongolia. It grows on the edges of woods and in thickets at altitudes of 100 to 1000 meters.

Use

The two- colored bush clover is planted to prevent erosion. From the seed oil can be extracted, the branches are used for weaving, from the leaves of tea is cooked. The plant is occasionally cultivated in Central Europe in parks and gardens as an ornamental shrub.

System

The two- colored bush clover belongs to the genus bush clover ( Lespedeza ) in the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the legume family ( Fabacea ). The species was the Russian botanist Nikolai Stepanovich Turtschaninow (1796-1863) described.