Lespedeza thunbergii

Thunberg's bush clover ( habitus )

Thunberg's bush clover ( Lespedeza thunbergii, Syn Lespedeza sieboldii ) is a flowering plant in the genus bush clover ( Lespedeza ). The herbaceous or woody plants have a wide distribution in East Asia. Due to the attractive flowering in autumn they are sometimes used as ornamental shrubs.

Description

The plant is herbaceous, woody up and one to three feet high. The branches, petioles, flower stalks and the undersides of the leaves are hairy. The branches are round in cross section, in contrast to similar Lespedeza davidii with angular branches. The leaves are in three parts, the middle leaves measures 2.5 to 6 cm in length, 1-3 cm in width.

The flowering period extends from July to September. The racemose or slightly branched inflorescences are in the leaf axils, they tower over the leaves significantly. The cup is 0.4 to 0.7 cm long, with five free, oblong- lanceolate lobes. The petals can reach 1 to 1.5 cm in length, they are colored purple or rarely white. The single-seeded, hairy bush is 0.8 × 0.4 cm in size and is inversely - ovate.

Dissemination

Thunberg's bush clover is cross- distributed from the northeast of India by China to Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It grows on the edges of woods and in thickets at altitudes up to 2800 meters.

Use

The plant is cultivated in central Europe in parks and gardens as an ornamental shrub. The type is one of the most beautiful flowers shrubs in late fall.

System

Thunberg's bush clover belongs to the genus bush clover ( Lespedeza ) in the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the legume family ( Fabacea ). He was described in 1825 thunbergii by Augustin de Candolle Pyrame as Desmodium and provided by Nakai Takenoshin in the genus Lespedeza 1927.

There are three subspecies, which can be differentiated by details of the sepals:

• Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. elliptica ( Bentham ex Maximowicz ) H.Ohashi - northeast India and southern China, subshrub
• Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. formosa ( bird) H.Ohashi - southern China and Taiwan, subshrub
• Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. thunbergii - North East of India, China, Japan and Korea, herbaceous to woody