Chinese Bush Clover

(Lespedeza cuneata)

Chinese Bush Clover (Lespedeza cuneata  [Dum.-Cours.] G. Don )

Alien: Native of the Oriental region.

Identification: An erect plant. Flowers white with 2 violet stripes near the base of the top petal. Flowers single or in pairs on short flower stalks from the leaf axils. Stem stiff, woody, and smooth. Leaves with 3 leaflets, each leaflet elongate and narrow. Leaves crowded on stem giving the plant a bottlebrush appearance. Plant 1 to 3 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout eastern North America and the Prairie States.

Habitat: A weedy species found along roadsides and in empty lots and fields.

Flowering period: August to October.

Similar Species: The white flowers with 2 violet stripes at the base of the top petal along with the bottlebrush appearance of the plant are distinctive.

Comments: Chinese Bush Clover was introduced primarily as a anti-erosion measure along roadsides. The species has subsequently spread to a variety of other disturbed habitats.