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Lespedeza

Lespedeza

9.9
A group of plants that grow as small bushes or low herbs
  • noun
  • /ˌlɛspəˈdiːzə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lespedeza
  • "They are raised to the transcendentally poetic level with the lespedeza flowers in their unpretentious beauty while the moon impartially illuminates good and bad, comely and ugly."
  • Lespedeza clover

Examples

  • The lespedeza plants provide excellent ground cover and improve soil quality.

  • When Mr. Ballard and his guests shot birds, Black Amos took the wagon reins and unleashed the English setters that jolted to quivering points in the lespedeza.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • On my hike, I spotted beautiful lespedeza blooming along the trail.

  • Farmers often plant lespedeza as part of crop rotation to enhance soil fertility.

Synonyms

bush clover
vsLespedeza
  • US
9.6

A low shrub farmers grow for animal food and to improve soil

is the botanical genus name spanning regions rather than focusing on agricultural use

Compounds

A bush from Asia with bright purple flowers often grown to attract wild birds and stop soil from washing away

An annual plant from Korea that farmers grow for animal food in hot, dry places

Lespedeza bicolor
  • Specialized
9.9

A small Asian bush with bright purple flowers that people often plant to stop soil erosion and feed birds

Lespedeza cuneata
  • Specialized
9.8

A plant that lives for many years and is grown for animal feed and hay

Lespedeza sericea
  • Specialized
9.6

A plant that lives for several years and is grown for animal feed and hay on poor soils

Lespedeza stipulacea
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that grows for one year and is grown for farm animal food and hay in dry places

Lespedeza striata
  • Specialized
9.9

A small annual plant from Asia that people grow to cover soil and feed farm animals

sericea lespedeza
  • Specialized
9.8

A plant that lives many years and is grown for hay and animal feed on poor soil

Surface Forms

Lespedeza singular
Lespedezas plural

Etymology

The word Lespedeza is said to be named after the Spanish governor Céspedes, who was linked to early plant collecting in Florida. A helpful way to remember it is to think of Lespedeza as 'Céspedes' clover, because these plants are small shrubs like clover and are now called bush clover.