Fabaceae
Legume Family
Lespedeza capitata Michx.
- Stem: perennial; 2’ to 3’ tall; usually unbranched; stiff-hairy above; sometimes several stems from the same root crown.
- Leaves: alternate; divided into three leaflets; middle leaflets 1” by 3/8”; leaflets oval-elongate with tapering bases and pointed tips, hairs flattened on the lower surface, smooth above; leaves just below the inflorescence very hairy.
- Inflorescence: heads at the stem tip and sessile in the upper leaf axils; the upper head the largest, about 1” in diameter.
- Flowers: corolla white, usually barely longer than the calyx; calyx 7/16” long with sharp lobes; hairy, especially just before flowering; flowering from mid-August to early September.
- Fruits: one-seeded pods develop within the calyx; 3/16” long, flat and pointed at each end, brown, hairy; fruiting begins in late August.
- Habitat: common on dry and sandy prairies; less common on moist prairies; also on dry and sandy roadsides and in open places.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
