Lespedeza is a genus of some 45 species (including nothospecies) of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae), commonly known as bush clovers or (particularly East Asian species) Japanese clovers (hagi). The genus is native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of eastern North America, eastern and southern Asia and Australasia.

These shrubby plants or trailing vines belong to the "typical" legumes (Faboideae), with the peas and beans, though they are part of another tribe, the Desmodieae. Therein, they are treated as type genus of the smaller subtribe Lespedezinae, which unites the present genus and its presumed closest relatives, Campylotropis and Kummerowia.

Name of the plant

According to American botanist Asa Gray (1810–1888), the Lespedeza owes its name to governor of East Florida Vicente Manuel de Céspedes (1784–1790; who, through a letter, allowed botanist André Michaux to explore East Florida in search of new species of plants, where Michaux found Lespedeza

Despeleza is a synonym of Lespedeza, and this name is derived from a taxonomic anagram.

Cultivation and uses

Some species are grown as garden or ornamental plants, and are used as a forage crops, notably in the southern United States, and as a means of soil enrichment and for prevention of erosion. In some areas, certain species are invasive. Lespedeza, like other legumes, have root nodules that harbor bacteria capable of nitrogen fixation from the air into a soil-bound form that can be taken up by other plants. Growers can take advantage of this process by putting the plants in their fields to release nitrogen, so they can use less fertilizer.

L. bicolor leaves and roots contain l-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (lespedamine), as well as related N<sup>ω</sup>,N<sup>ω</sup>-dimethyltryptamines and their oxides, as well as some bufotenin.

Species

thumb|right|[[Lespedeza capitata inflorescences and leaves]]

thumb|right|[[Lespedeza cuneata habitus]]

thumb|right|[[Lespedeza cyrtobotrya flowering branch]]

thumb|right|[[Lespedeza maximowiczii]]

The species and nothospecies recognized in Lespedeza include:

  • Lespedeza × brittonii
  • Lespedeza buergeri <small>Miq.</small>
  • Lespedeza cambodianum
  • Lespedeza capitata <small>Michx.</small> (syn. L. frutescens <small>Elliott</small>, L. schindleri , and L. stuevei <small>DC.</small>)
  • Lespedeza caraganae <small>Bunge</small>
  • Lespedeza chinensis <small>G.Don</small> (syn. L. mucronata <small>Ricker</small>)
  • Lespedeza cuneata <small>(Dumont-Cours.) G. Don</small>
  • Lespedeza cyrtobotrya <small>Miq.</small> – leafy lespedeza
  • Lespedeza junghuhniana <small>Bakh.f.</small> = Campylotropis cytisoides
  • Lespedeza sericea = Campylotropis macrostyla
  • Lespedeza speciosa <small>Royle ex Schindl.</small> = Campylotropis speciosa <small>(Royle ex Schindl.) Schindl.</small>
  • Lespedeza striata <small>(Thunb.) Hook. & Arn.</small> = Kummerowia striata <small>(Thunb.) Schindl.</small>
  • Lespedeza tomentosa <small>Maxim.</small> = Campylotropis pinetorum <small>(Kurz) Schindl.</small>

Footnotes

References

  • International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS) (2005): Genus Lespedeza. Version 10.01, November 2005. Retrieved 2011-FEB-18.
  • Morimoto, Hiroshi & Matsumoto, Norichika (1966). Über Alkaloide, VI. Inhaltsstoffe Lespedeza bicolor var. japonica, II. ["Alkaloid contents of L. bicolor var. japonica II."] J. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 682(1): 212–218 [in German].
  • Morimoto, Hiroshi & Oshio, Haruji (1965). Über Alkaloide, V. Inhaltsstoffe von Lespedeza bicolor var. japonica, I. Über Lespedamin, ein neues Alkaloid. ["Alkaloid contents of L. bicolor var. japonica I. On Lespedamin, a novel alkaloid."] J. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 682(1): 212–218 [in German].
  • Sericea in conservation farming, a freely readable informational booklet scan hosted by the University of North Texas Digital Library
  • Lespedeza bicolor at the National Resources Conservation Service. Contains information, images, and a map of its North American distribution.