Herbs. Stems ascending or erect, clustered, slender, 70–150 cm, simple or branched apically, villosulous or strigose. Leaves: stipules subulate to nar­rowly triangular, 3–5 mm; pet­iole 7–10 mm, longer than rachis; leaflet blades elliptic to elliptic-oblong, base obtuse, apex obtuse to retuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent or subappressed-pilose abaxially, lateral veins often conspicuous abaxially, sparsely appressed-pubescent adaxially; laterals similar to terminal; termi­nal blade 10–40 × 5–12 mm, length 1.5–2.5(–3) times width. Peduncles shorter than or equal to subtending leaves. Racemes 5–15-flowered, flowers clustered dis­tally, shortly glomerate, flowers chasmogamous and cleistogamous. Pedicels 0.5–2 mm; bracteoles shorter than calyx tube. Flowers: chasmogamous 5–6 mm; calyx 3–4 mm, sericeous or villous, tube 1 mm; lobes 4, lateral narrowly triangular, 2–2.5 mm, adaxial connate proximally, apices acuminate; corolla purple; wings 5.7–6.2 mm; keel 5–5.3 mm. Loments: chasmogamous exserted from calyx, calyx 2/5 loment length, ovate, 4–6 mm, cleistogamous exserted from calyx, ovate, 4–5 mm, sericeous or villous; stipe 0.2 mm. 2n = 20.

Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Open, dry, often sterile, rocky woodlands, openings, glades, old fields, roadsides, river bottoms, moist pine savannas, on sandy soils.
Elevation: 0–900 m.

Distribution

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Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Miss., Mo., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

Lespedeza stuevei forms natural hybrids with L. angustifolia, L. frutescens, L. hirta, and L. virginica. Hybrids with L. virginica have been called L. × neglecta (Britton) Mackenzie & Bush and L. stuevei var. angustifolia Britton.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.