LEPTOSYNE 



LESPEDEZA 



903 



fls. In tbo North tbesu plnnts are mostly treated as 

 half-hardy annuals. None of thciii has anything like the 

 popularity of either Cosmos or CaHiopsin elegatiR. The 

 commonest species is L. waHtiuia, but L. Stlllmani 

 promises to outrank it, thoui:;h it is not yet advertised in 

 America. 1/. Slilbnaiii is said to bear fls. lia in. across, 

 tor 5 or G Aveeks. Its seed germinates ([uickly and can 

 be sown outdoors. Sandy soil and a sunny position is 

 advised. It is said to bloom in four to five weeks after sow- 

 ing. L. marUima should be started indoors, transplanted 

 in May, and can be brought into flower by July. Two dis- 

 tinct plants ai'e passing in the trade as //. mari/hnn, 

 one of which is L. calliopsidea, and is considered an in- 

 ferior plant by some. The seeds of the two plants are 

 easily distinguished. Genus monographed 1880, in 

 Gray's "Synoptical Flora." 



A. Hays obouatc. 

 B. Seeds having long, soft, villous hairs. 

 calliopsidea, Gray (Agarlsta calliop^idea, DC. Co- 

 reSpsis calliopsidea. Bob). This is the plant figured in 

 R.H. 1873:M30, erroneously as L, manfima. Annual, 

 l-2ft. liigh: Hs. ;t in. across; rays fewer, shorter and 

 broader than in L.mariiima, IM in. long, %-\ in. wide. 



BB. Seeds having short, rigiel bristles. 

 Doiiglasii, DC. Annual, 9-12 in. high : Ivs. 1-3-times 

 parted; ring of the disk-tis. distinctly bearded. Int. by 

 Orcutt, 1891. 



BBB. Seeds not hairy. 

 Stlllmanni, Gray. Stouter than L. Doiiglasii: ring of 

 the disk-Hs. beardless. Gn. 52, p. 401. G.C. III. 22:33;{. 

 H.B. 23, p. 275. Gt. 40, p. 012. S.H.2:44. Int. 1898, by 

 Binary. 



AA. Mays oblotig. 



B. Stems low, from a thick base. 



maritima, Gray. Perennial: Ivs. 2-pinnate: fls.3Min. 

 across, borne at the ends of branches on peduncles 9-12 

 in. long; rays 10-20, IK in. long; disk 1 in. across: 

 steeds not hairy. B.M. C241. Gn. 49:1001. Not R.H. 

 1873:330, which is really 7y. calliopsidea. — Makes a good 

 bog plant. 



BB. Stems 2-S ft. high, 1-5 in. thicli. 



gigant^a, Kellogg. Differs in being leafy at the top 

 only, the others being leafy at the base: Ivs. 2-3-pin- 

 nate: lis. smaller than in L. maritima, borne on ehort 

 corymbose peduncles ; disk H in. across : seeds not 

 hairy. Cult, in S. Calif. Gt. 44, p. 592.-Franceschi says 

 the tis. are sweet-scented. W.M. 



LEPTOTiENIA dissecta and multifida were adver- 

 tised in 1881 by Edward (4illett, of Southwick, Mass.. 

 for Califoruian collectors, but it is doubtful if any plants 

 of these species are cult, in gardens. Tliey are pre- 

 sumably inferior in height and hardiness to Ferula. 

 For descriptions, see Coulter and Rose's Revision of 

 North American Umbelliferse, 1888. 



LEPTOTES. See Tciramirra. 



LESPED^IZA (D. Lespedrz was a Spanish governor 

 of Florida, who aided the botanist Micbaux). Legumi- 

 nbste. Bush Clover. Between 30 and 40 perennial 

 herbs and shrubs in N. Amer., Asia and Australia, with 

 small (often inconspicuous), pea-shaped fis. in racemes 

 or heads: Ivs. pinnately 3-foliolate or rarely 1-foliolate, 

 the Ifts. entire and wanting stipcls: calyx lobes nearly 

 equal, sometimes subulate; anthers usually 9 and 1 : pod 

 short and 1-seeded (and in this differing from Desmo- 

 dium, which has jointed pods). In some of the Lespe- 

 dezas there are two kinds of fis., — petal-bearing and 

 mostly sterile, apetalous and mostly fertile. There are 

 a number of native Lespedezas, some of which arc of- 

 fered by dealers in native plants, but they are not very 

 showy and are most in place in native borders and in 

 amateur collections. Two or three of the oriental species 

 are now becoming popular. L. striata is the Japan Clo- 

 ver of the South, and is a valuable forage and green-ma- 

 nure plant. L. bicolor is a low shrub, with small violet- 

 purple fls., hardy in New England, but little known in 

 cult. The most important ornamental members of the 



genus thus far introduced are L. Sieboldi and L. Ja- 

 poniea, which are hardy herbs sending up many strong, 

 wiry shoots each year, and blooming profusely in Sep- 

 tember and October. Their late bloom is very desirable. 

 All Lespedezas are of the easiest culture wherever 

 hardy. Usually increased V>y division of the clumps. 

 i. Sieboldi is readily propagated by greenwood cut- 

 tings under glass. Monogr. by Maxiniowicz in Act. 

 Hort. Petrop. ii. (1873). 



A. Occidental or native Lespedezas: of upright or erect 

 liabii, not showy: stipules and flower-bracts mi- 

 nute, subulate. 



These species arc nnt in general commerce, but are 

 olTered by dealers in native plants. They thrive in light, 

 dry soils. Because of the grayish or brownish color of 

 the foliage, they are sometimes useful in landscape- 

 gardening work. Hardy, and of easiest culture. Per- 

 ennial. 



B. Fls. ivhifiih or yellowish, all complete. 



hirta. Ell. Erect, 2-4 ft. tall, silky-pubescent: petioles 

 shorter than the Ivs.: Ifts. nearly orbicular: tis. in ob- 

 long or cylindrical heads which are on peduncles which 

 usuullv exceed the Ivs. Dry soils. New England to Fla. 

 and W. Mn. 0:181. 



caplt^ta, Michx. Much like the last, but Ifts. narrow- 

 oblong or oval, and the fl. -heads dense and short-pe- 

 duncled. Range of the above. 



BB. Fls. purple or violet, or some of 



them- apetalous. 



c. Peduncles slender. 



vioUcea, Pers. Two to 3 ft., only 

 slightly put>escent: Ifts. oval or ellip- 

 tic: fls. small, in a loose cluster which 

 is on a stalk usually longer than the 

 Ivs. Range of above. 



Nuttallii, Darl. Two to 3 ft., hairy- 

 pubescent: Ifts. oval, oblong or nearly 

 orbicular : fl. -clus- 

 ters dense or even 

 capitate, the stalk 

 m OS 1 1 y exceeding 

 the Ivs. Range of 

 above. 



rn. Peduncle.'^ nearly 



or quite wanting. 



Stuvei.Nutt. Most- *i^ 

 ly unbranched, 2-4 

 ft., velvety-pubescent: 

 tioles very short : Ifts. 

 long to nearly orbicular 

 in nearly sessile, axi 

 clusters or heads. 

 York, south and west. 



!rut6scens, Britt. {L. 

 Stiivei, var. i n t ertne d ia, 

 Wats.). Less pubescent or 

 almost glabrous : petioles 

 mostly longer : Ifts. oval to 

 eliiotic: clusters very short- 

 stnlked. New Eng., south 

 and west. 



AA. Oriental Lespedeza, 

 groivn for forage in the 

 JSonth: of trailing habit: 

 sti])ules and ft. -bracts 

 conspicuous. 



Striata, Hook. &■ Arn. 

 Japan Clover. HnoPKOOP. 

 Annual, somewhat pubcs- 1263. 

 cent, decumbent or erect, 

 slender: Ivs. small and very 

 numerous, the Ifts. oblong or obovate, and the petioles 

 very short: lis. small, pink or purple, in axillary clus- 

 ters. China and Japan. — Said to have been introduced 

 accidentally into S. Car. in 1849, but ])robably in the 

 countrv much before that time. It is now extensively 

 naturalized south of the Ohio river, growing on nearly 

 all kinds of land. On light lands it makes dense mats. 



Lespedeza bicolor. 



