Lespedeza floribunda

Lespedeza floribunda is a small plant in the pea family, Fabaceae. Its native range runs from the western Himalaya to Mongolia and China. Records include northern Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir in India. Kew places it in temperate regions. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. In the wild, it grows on rocky mountain slopes. Reported sites lie below about 4,265 feet [1,300 metres].

Sources differ slightly in how they describe its form. Kew lists it as a subshrub or perennial. Plants For A Future describes a deciduous shrub. That source gives a height of about 2 feet [0.6 metres]. This makes it a small plant for a cultivated bed. The supplied species records give no spread measurement. They also lack details about its bark, stems, or leaf shape. The RHS leaf and flower description covers the genus, not this species.

Plants For A Future records flowering from August to September. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects carry pollen between the flowers. Seeds ripen later, from October to November. The evidence gives no species-specific flower colour or fruit description. The plant can fix nitrogen with help from bacteria. These bacteria live in nodules on its roots. This partnership lets the plant use nitrogen from the air.

The species account lists sandy and loamy soils as suitable. It calls for good drainage and soil that stays moist. It accepts mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline conditions. It cannot grow in shade. Winter tolerance is less clear than these soil needs. Plants For A Future calls the species frost tender. It also says its hardiness in Britain remains unknown. Its further winter-care notes concern the genus rather than this species.

Young leaves have a recorded food use when cooked. Plants For A Future gives edibility a low score. It lists no known hazards, but supplies no detailed safety assessment. It records no medicinal uses or other material uses. Its seed method starts with a warm-water soak lasting one day. Sow in spring under glass, then pot up the seedlings. Keep young plants under glass through their first winter. Plant out after the last expected frost. The supplied records name no specific pests or diseases.