Lespedeza thunbergii

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:FABACEAE
Species:Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
Common Name:Thunberg's Bush Clover
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:LETH4
Plant Notes:Thunberg's Bush Clover is an introduced deciduous shrub in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It is native to Asia, but has been widely planted for erosion control and for wildlife throughout Alabama. Thunberg's Bush Clover occurs in open forests, along roadsides, along fence rows, and in powerline clearings. It is a multi-trunked shrub reaching 7-8 feet in height. Plants in northern areas are killed back to the ground in winter, but those in south Alabama may only have the upper stem portions killed. They will re-sprout from the lower stems profusely. It is a perennial with a woody crown. The stems are often purple tinged when young and either glabrous or short pubescent. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, trifoliate, and narrowly elliptic to oblong in outline. The margins are entire. The leaves are dark green above and light green below. Flowers are produced in panicles or racemes from the apex of the branches. The flowers are papilionaceous and rose-purple in color (rarely white or pink). The fruit is a one-seeded, pubescent, indehiscent legume. Thunberg's Bush Clover is closely related to, and similar in appearance to the more widespread Bicolor Lespedeza (Lespedeza bicolor Turczaninow), another Asian species. Thunberg’s Bush Clover is listed as an invasive species by the USDA in “Invasive Plants in Southern Forests”, the Georgia Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, and Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Councils, and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. It is still available for sale in Alabama nurseries, with several varieties available. Thunberg's Bush Clover is difficult to eradicate once established, and its spread is promoted by fire.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyFABACEAE - Pea/Bean family
Genus Lespedeza
Species Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai - Thunberg's Bush Clover

Citation

Citation Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai, Lespedeza Japan Korea 15. 1927.
Basionym: Desmodium thunbergii DC. 1825.
Type: JAPAN

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Desmodium penduliflorum Desmodium penduliflorum Oudemans, Neerl. Pl.-Tuin 2: t. 2. 1866.  
Desmodium thunbergii Desmodium thunbergii de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 337. 1825. JAPAN
Lespedeza bicolor var. sieboldii Lespedeza bicolor Turczaninow, var. sieboldii (Miquel) Maximowicz, Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 2: 356. 1873.Lespedeza sieboldii Miquel 1867. 
Lespedeza grandis Lespedeza grandis Koidzumi, Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 4: 159. 1935.  
Lespedeza penduliflora Lespedeza penduliflora (Oudemans) Nakai, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 37: 79. 1923.Desmodium penduliflorum Oudemans 1866. 
Lespedeza sieboldii Lespedeza sieboldii Miquel, Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 3: 47. 1867.  

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Bibb, Butler, Calhoun, Clay, Conecuh, Dale, Jackson, Lee, Pike, Russell, Sumter

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: -

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
TROY000005348 Pike 30 Sep 2001 Diamond, Alvin R.
12724		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
UWAL0031170 Conecuh 15 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26742		 UWAL
Lespedeza thunbergii (AP de Candolle) Nakai
AUA000012267 Lee 2 Jul 1970 Hopson, George R.
0036		 AUA
Lespedeza Thunbergii (Dc.) Nakai
UNA00057830 Bibb 10 Jul 1999 Smith, S.T.
s.n.		 UNA
Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
UWAL0006948 Butler 11 Aug 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17898		 UWAL
Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
TROY000005349 Russell 31 Oct 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14866		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
TROY000019341 Bibb 01 Jun 2003 Diamond, Alvin R.
13969		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
TROY000042715 Conecuh 15 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26742		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
JSU135356 Calhoun 20 Sep 1986 Lawler, Carol L.
1220		 JSU
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
ALNHS00007223 Sumter 25 Aug 2021 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#5649		 ALNHS
Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
TROY000005347 Dale 02 Sep 2002 Diamond, Alvin R.
13643		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
UNA00060313 Dale 13 Jun 2002 Diamond, Alvin R.
13309		 UNA
Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
JSU135358 Jackson 27 Jun 1998 Brodeur, Kristin R.
934		 JSU
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
AUA000012266 Bibb 10 Jul 1999 Smith, S.T.
 AUA
Lespedeza Thunbergii (Dc.) Nakai
TROY000019409 Butler 11 Aug 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17898		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
UWAL0043289 Baldwin 12 Sep 2003 Larsen, Harry S.
1298		 UWAL
Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai
JSU135355 Calhoun 22 Sep 1986 Martin, A.L.
13		 JSU
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
AUA000012269 Pike 2 Sep 1994 Diamond, Alvin R.
9339		 AUA
Lespedeza Thunbergii (Dc.) Nakai
TROY000005346 Dale 13 Jun 2002 Diamond, Alvin R.
13309		 TROY
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
JSU135359 Jackson 11 Sep 1994 Spaulding, Daniel D.
6268		 JSU
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
JSU135357 Clay 14 Jun 1992 Ballard, J. Mark
213		 JSU
Lespedeza thunbergii (A.P. de Candolle) Nakai
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