FLORA OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 187 



14. Meibomia marylandica (L.) Kuntze. 



Dry woods and thickets; frequent. Aug.-Sept. Eastern U. S. (Desmodium 

 marylandicum Boott.) 



16. Meibomia obtusa (Muhl.) Vail. 



Drj^ soil; frequent. Aug.-Sept. Eastern U. S. {Dcsmodium ohtusum DC; D. 

 ciliare DC.) 



Specimens of this species have been reported erroneously from oiir^region as Af. 

 arenifola Vail. 



14. LESPEDEZA Michx. Bush clover. 



Plants annual; stipules ovate or lanceolate; calyx lobes ovate or oval, very obtuse. 



Flowers pink or pmple 1. L. striata . 



Plants perennial; stipules narrowly linear, bristle-like, long-tapering; calyx lobes 

 narrow, verj^ acute. 

 Flowers all alike, perfect, in dense spikes or heads; corolla about as long as the 

 calyx, whitish or yellowish, sometimes with a purple spot on the standard; pod 

 not longer than the calyx lobes. 

 Peduncles longer than the leaves; leaflets oval to nearly orbicular, less than twice 

 as long as broad, loosely hairy beneath; flowers spreading in the spikes. 



2. L. hirta. 



Peduncles shorter than the leaves; leaflets oblong or elliptic, more than twice as 



long as broad, closely silky-hairy beneath; flowers erect or ascending in the 



spikes 3. L. capitata. 



Flowers of 2 kinds, some of them petaliferous, in racemes or panicles, the petals 

 purple, much longer than the calyx, the others mostly without petals, fertile, 

 in small sessile clusters or mixed with the others; pods much longer than the 

 calyx lobes. 

 Peduncles all or nearly all shorter than the leaves, or the flower clusters sessile. 

 Leaflets densely woolly or velvety beneath, oval to oblong. Flower clusters 



all sessile or nearly so 4. L. stuvei. 



Leaflets glabrous beneath or with closely appressed hairs. 



Leaflets oval or oblong; flower clusters often stalked 5. L. frutescens. 



Leaflets linear to linear-oblong; flower clusters all sessile or nearly so. 



6. L. virginica. 

 Peduncles, at least most of them, longer than the leaves. 



Stems with spreading hairs. 

 Stems prostrate or trailing; peduncles long and slender, nearly all of them 



longer than the leaves 7. L. procumbens . 



Stems erect; peduncles short and stout, often shorter than the leaves. 



8. L. nuttallii. 



Stems glabrous or with closely appressed hairs. 



Stems erect; stipules mostly 5-8 mm. long 9. L. violacea- 



Stems prostrate or trailing; stipules 2-5 mm. long 10. L. repens. 



1. Lespedeza striata (Thunb.) Hook. & Arn. Japan clover. 

 Dry woods and fields; often abundant. Aug.-Sept. Native of eastern Asia; exten- 

 sively naturalized in eastern N. Amer. 



2. Lespedeza hirta (L.) Hornem. 



Dry fields and woods; frequent. Aug. -Oct. Eastern U. S. 



Lespedeza hirta ohlongifolia Britton has been collected in our region, and one collec- 

 tion has been reported incorrectly as L. angustifolia (Pursh) Ell. Its inflorescence 

 resembles that of L. hirta, but the leaflets are narrower and the pubescence appressed 

 The plant has not been found in fruit and it has been surmised that it is a hybrid 

 between L. hirta and L. anqusiifolia. If this is not the case the form is well worthy 

 of specific rank. 



