Practical
Plants

Kummerowia striata

Common Lespedeza

an annual member of the Kummerowia genus in the family Leguminosae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.2 m
Fertility
Insects, Cleistogomy
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects, Cleistogomy

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked. The seed can be ground into a meal and used with cereal flours in making bread etc[1][3]. The seed contains 26.4 - 51.9% protein and 4.3 - 7.3% fat[5]. Young plant - cooked[1][3]. A nutritional analysis is available[5].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant is used medicinally as a diuretic, for reducing fever, and treating diarrhea[6]. A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of extreme physical debility and swellings[5]. It is boiled with Centella asiatica and Prunella vulgaris for the treatment of dysentery, headache and vertigo[5]. A broth is used to improve the appetite[5].

Product or use
Miscellany
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Astringent

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is fast growing and has an extensive root system. It has been widely used, especially in N. America, for restoring fertility to worn-out soils[2].

Ecology and functions

Soil builder

Nitrogen fixer

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat
Waste ground and roadsides all over Japan[7]. Clayey, sandy and gravelly soils, riverbanks, roadsides and non-populated areas, always in large quantities[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in situ in mid spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species but it should succeed as a spring-sown annual in Britain. See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs. Plants sometimes produce cleistogamous flowers. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  5. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  6. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

  7. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

  8. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

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