Homer D. House, New York State Botanist. Walter B. Starr of the Matthews-Northrup Company, Buffalo, and Harold H. Snyder of the Zeese-Wilkinson Company, New York, photographers., no rights reserved (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons

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Lespedeza hirta

hairy lespedeza

Fabaceae Eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–9

Overview

An upright perennial legume growing 2–4 feet (60–120 cm) tall, with one to several stems rising from a woody crown. Stems and foliage are densely covered in spreading whitish hairs. Leaves are alternate and divided into three rounded to oval leaflets, each 0.5–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) long, gray-green, and hairy on both surfaces. Cream to yellowish-white pea-shaped flowers, each about 0.25 inch (6 mm) long and often marked with a purple spot at the base, are crowded into dense rounded to cylindrical heads 0.5–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) wide on stalks from the upper leaf axils. Bloom occurs from August to October. Small single-seeded pods follow and persist into winter. The plant grows from a deep taproot and dies back to the ground each year. It fixes nitrogen through root nodules. Lower leaves may drop in late-season drought. Growth is upright, and the plant does not spread laterally.

Native Range

Native to eastern and central North America from Maine and Ontario south to Florida and west to Texas and Kansas. Grows in dry, open woodlands, sandy fields, clearings, and roadsides in full sun to light shade.

Suggested Uses

Grown in native plantings, meadows, and restoration sites at 18–24 inch (45–60 cm) spacing. Used on dry, infertile slopes and sandy ground, where it stabilizes soil and fixes nitrogen. Suited to wildlife and prairie plantings rather than irrigated borders.

How to Identify

Recognized by densely hairy stems and three-part leaves with rounded leaflets, topped by tight rounded heads of cream to yellowish-white flowers from late summer. The flower heads sit on stalks longer than the leaves beneath them. Distinguished from Lespedeza capitata by its rounded leaflets and longer flower stalks.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 4'

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer Fall

Flowers from August through October, with peak bloom in September. Individual heads bloom over 2–3 weeks, and a plant remains in flower for 4–6 weeks. Bloom begins earlier in the southern range and ends with the first hard frost in the north.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Cream to yellowish-white with a purple base spot

Foliage Description

Gray-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to light shade in dry, well-drained sandy or rocky soils of low fertility. Water during the first season to establish the taproot; established plants tolerate drought and need no supplemental water. As a nitrogen-fixing legume, it grows in poor soils without added fertilizer. The deep taproot makes established plants difficult to transplant. Few pests or diseases affect it. Foliage is grazed by deer and other browsers, and the seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals.

Pruning

Cut dead stems to the ground in late fall or early spring. Deadheading is not necessary; seed heads persist into winter and feed wildlife. Plants reseed where soil is open. No other pruning is needed.

Pruning Schedule

fallearly spring