Japanese clover
Family
FabaceaeScientific Name
Kummerowia striataOther Common Names:
common lespedeza
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Lespedeza striata
Habit
Common Lespedeza can found in fields, pastures, open woods, stream banks, roadsides, railroads, waste ground, disturbed and cultivated sites.
Leaves
Leaves of this plant consist of 3 oblong leaflets (trifoliolate), 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and 1/3 to 1/2 as wide, obtuse at apex, narrowed at the base. Leaflets are without hairs except for oppressed hairs along the margins and mid-vein beneath. Lance-shaped stipules are present, 3-6 mm long, becoming brownish with age. Petioles are 1-2 mm long, much shorter than the leaves.
Identifying Characteristics
This plant is utilized for horse and cattle forage. It was brought to this country around 1850 and has spread rapidly.
Flower Seed Head
The plant has both conspicuous chasmogamous flowers and diminutive cleistogamous flowers, both of which are fertile. The flowers are actually quite striking up close but the plant is basically too small to have much ornamental value. Flowing occurs during July - October.
Seed Fruit
Fruits occur in a legume that is 3-4 mm long, tapering to a pointed apex.
Where Found
Common Lespedeza are found throughout the southeast of the US.
Growth Habit
prostrate and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
pencil,
dime
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
purple,
pink
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
oval
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
trifoliate
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
has hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
taproot
Life Cycle
summer annual
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb