Perennial lespedeza
Lespedeza cuneata

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A small shrub up to 1 m tall. The leaves have 3 leaflets. These are narrow. They are 10-25 mm long by 2-4 mm wide. There are hairs on the lower side of the leaf. There are 2-4 flowers in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are whitish-yellow with violet stripes near the base. The fruit are oval pods 3 mm long.

There are about 100 Lespedeza species.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows on mountain slopes below 2500 m altitude in China. In Taiwan it grows on waste land up to 3,100 m altitude. In XTBG Yunnan. In Sichuan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, North America, Pakistan, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The shoots and leaves are eaten. Caution: The bitterness must be removed by cooking and washing.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Chinese lespedeza, Jie ye tie sao zhou

Synonyms

Anthyllis cuneata Dumon de Courset; Hedysarum sericeum Thunberg; Lespedeza argyrea Siebold & Zucc.; Lespedeza sericea (Thunberg) Miquel;