Korean lespedeza is an East Asian bush clover, a shrub common on hillsides across Korea that also grows in parts of central China and on Japan's Tsushima Island. It does not grow wild in the United States. In Korea it bears small, pea-like, reddish-purple flowers in early summer.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A many-branched deciduous shrub, usually 3–10 ft (1–3 m) tall. The branch tips die back in winter.
- Leaves
- Each leaf has three leaflets. The middle one is egg-shaped, about 0.4–2 in (1–5 cm) long, with a pointed tip ending in a tiny spike, and the underside is covered in flat-lying hairs.
- Flowers
- Short clusters of reddish-purple, pea-shaped flowers, each about 0.4 in (1 cm) long, grow from the leaf bases. The lobes taper to long points.
- Fruit
- A small, flat, rounded pod holding a kidney-shaped seed.
Look-alikes
Shrub lespedezaLespedeza bicolor
Shrub lespedeza has leaflets with rounded tips, while Korean lespedeza's leaflets come to a point. Shrub lespedeza also blooms later and has flower clusters that stick out past the leaves.
Why they get mixed upBoth are East Asian shrubby bush clovers with three leaflets and purple pea flowers.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mountain slopes
- Forests
- Forest edges
- Range
- Native to Korea, where it is common, plus parts of central China and the northern part of Tsushima Island, Japan. It is not found in the wild in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- It tolerates shade better than most bush clovers, and also handles poor soil.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Korea, bush clover twigs were traditionally bundled into brooms and woven into baskets and gates.
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