Lespedeza stuevei Nutt.:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Massachusetts south to Florida, west to Texas, north to Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, New York. Historic occurrence in Vermont; extirpated in Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems 1-2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Stem hairs hispid to villous, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules setiform, subulate or acicular, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 3, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracteoles present, Flowers zygomorph ic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx 4-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Reduced cleistogamous flowers produced, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit hairy, Fruit 1-seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.

Difficult to distinguish from L. intermedia and L. virginica. L. stuevei has (1) the leaflets relatively broad (less than 3.5 times as long as wide, vs. usually 5-7 times as long as wide in L. virginica); (2) the upper surface of the leaflet pubescent, vs. glabrous or strigose along midrib in L. intermedia and strigose in L. virginica; (3) the lower surface of the leaflet usually densely hairy ("subappressed-villosulous") but varying sometimes to strigose, vs. merely strigose in L. intermedia & L. virginica; (4) upper 2 calyx-lobes connate less than half their length if at all, vs. connate at least half their length in both L. virginica and L. intermedia. Distinguishable from other Lespedeza species by this combination of characters: stems erect, simple or branched above the middle; racemes as long as or only slightly exceeding subtending leaves; racemes with numerous flowers; calyx much shorter than legume and corolla; corolla purple; herbaceous plant. (Isely 1990, Gleason & Cronquist 1991)

Comments: "Open, usually dry, often sterile, rocky woodlands, woodland openings and glades, old fields, roadsides, less frequently river bottons and moist pine savannas" (Isely 1990). "Dry upland woods & barrens" (Gleason and Cronquist 1991).

Has both relatively showy chasmogamous and inconspicuous cleistogamous flowers. Hybridizes with several other species.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

Reasons: Widespread in the United States, but uncommon in many parts of its range.