Creeping Bush Clover

(Lespedeza repens)

 

   

 

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Creeping Bush-Clover (Lespedeza repens [L.] W. Bart.)

Identification: A trailing plant that sends up erect or nearly erect flower branches. Flowers pealike, with upper banner deeply tinged with pink, other petals whiter, but tinged with lavender or violet. Flowers in irregular racemes on an erect flowering branch. Stem smooth. Leaves with 3 leaflets, rounded to slightly elongate.

Distribution: Throughout most of the eastern United States.

Habitat: Creeping Bush-Clover is a species of dry woods and forest clearings.

Flowering period: June to September.

Similar Species: Trailing Bush Clover is nearly identical to this species. However the plant is somewhat thicker and the stems are hairy, not smooth.

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