Hairy Lespedeza
Lespedeza hirta
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 407. Courtesy of Kentucky Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc.
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Lespedeza
- Species:
- Lespedeza hirta
- USDA Symbol:
- LEHI2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 150 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun,Part Shade,Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- white, cream, yellow
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★★☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Reported Fauna Sightings
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, bees, butterflies, small mammals
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from rootstock following fire; historically common in fire-maintained prairies and open woodlands.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- commonly found in open woods and fields
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Scarification improves germination; hard seed coat benefits from mechanical abrasion or hot water treatment before cold stratification.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Seed is scarified for 50 seconds in pulses prior to planting (15, 15, 10 and 5 second increments) and inoculated with appropriate nitrogen-fixing rhizobium.
Establishment: Germination in 2001 has been low and has occurred over several weeks. Spring, 2001 crop has been slow to establish and required a second sowing. Those that germinated were transplanted to 72 trays and most are still small seedling size at 75 days post germination. Fertilized at low rates only when plants go off color.
Source: npn.rngr.net