Lespedeza violacea

Stems erect or ascending, usually much-branched, 4-8 dm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent with erect or ascending hairs; petioles often nearly as long as the lfls; lfls elliptic, 1-4 cm, half as wide, appressed-hairy beneath, glabrous or nearly so above; racemes loose, few-fld, much exceeding the subtending lvs; fls purple, 6-10 mm, the wings shorter than the keel; cal- lobes 1.5-3 mm, the 2 uppermost connate beyond the middle; 2n=20. Dry upland woods; Mass. and Vt. to Wis., s. to Ga., Kans., and Tex., commonest in the Midwest. Aug., Sept. (L. prairea)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

Infrequent in dry, clayey soil in white oak and black and white oak woods throughout the state. It has been reported frequently from the state and, no doubt, some of the reports should be referred to L. intermedia [= L. frutescens].

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Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C = 5

Wetland Indicator Status: N/A