Practical
Plants

Lespedeza bicolor

Lespedeza

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Lespedeza genus in the family Leguminosae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Young leaves and stems - cooked[2][3][4][6]. Flowers - cooked[3][6]. Seed - cooked[2][3][4]. Occasionally boiled and eaten with rice[6]. The leaves are used as a tea substitute[3][6][8]..

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed
Product or use
Tea

Material uses

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

The seed oil is used as a lubricant[8]. The branchletsare used for making baskets[8]. Because this species tolerates arid soils, it is grown as a windbreak, and for sand stabilization, and soil conservation[8].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Basketry

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat
Grassy places and thickets in lowland all over Japan[9]. Mountain slopes, forest margins, roadsides, thickets and forests at elevations of 150 - 1000 metres[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow it in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in individual pots in a frame. It can be difficult to get the cuttings through their first winter, it is best to plunge the pots in a bed of ashes in a sheltered border outdoors[10].

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a well-drained light loam in full sun[1][5]. Succeeds in light shade and in dry soils[8]. The top growth is not very cold tolerant, although the rootstock is hardy to about -25°c. Plants are usually cut back to the ground in all but very mild winters, though they generally resprout well from the base in the following spring and flower in late summer[5]. 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[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩1↩2

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩

  10. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

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