Lespedeza virgata: A
deciduous shrub that grows in sunny, dry grasslands on hills to low
hills, reaching 30-60cm in height; however, it is seemingly a herb.
Stems are stiff and slender, with adpressed hairs. Leaves, ternate
compounds, are alternate; leaflets measure 0.7-2.5cm long and
0.5-1.5cm wide, oblong-shaped, with tips round with slight
depressions and acicular projections. Axils emerge stalks that
generate short racemes with 2-5 6-7mm long dark white papilionaceous
flowers. Calyxes, 4-5mm long, are tinge red and cleft in five; the
segments are lanceolate, and the tips extend to become pointed in a
needleway. Bloom time: August-September. |