WILD FLOWERS OF NEW YORK 1 49 



THE BUSH CLOVERS 



Lespedeza 



Herbs, often with perennial roots and erect or ascending stems. In 

 a few species the stems trailing. Leaves three-foliolate. Flowers small, 

 purple or whitish, in axillary clusters, heads or panicles. Frequently 

 the flowers are of two kinds intermixed, one petaliferous but sterile, the 

 other minute, apetalous and fertile. Calyx lobes nearly equal, those of 

 the petaliferous flowers usually longer than those of the apetalous flowers. 

 Upper petal (standard) obovate or oblong, the lower petals forming an 

 incurved keel. Stamens usually diadelphous (nine and one) ; anthers all 

 alike. Ovary one-ovuled, ripening into a flat, indehiscent, reticulated, 

 mostly one-jointed and one-seeded pod. 



Key to the New York Species of Lespedeza 



Corolla purple or purplish; plants bearing both petaliferous and apetalous flowers 

 Stems prostrate or trailing 



Foliage glabrous or somewhat appressed-pubescent L. repens 



Foliage downy-pubescent or tomentose L. procumbens 



Stems erect or ascending 



Peduncles distinct and mostly longer than the leaves 



Bushy-branched ; petaliferous flowers paniculate L. v i o 1 a c e a 



Stems simple or little branched ; flowers racemose or subspicate 



Stems tomentose; leaves tomentose beneath L. brittonii 



Stems and leaves glabrate or appressed-pubescent; leaflets oval to 



suborbicular L. nuttallii 



Peduncles shorter than the leaves or the flower clusters sessile 



Leaflets densely tomentose beneath; calyx of the petaliferous flowers less 



than one-half as long as the pod L. s t u v e i 



Leaflets appressed pubescent beneath or glabrate 



Calyx of petaliferous flowers less than one-half as long as the pod; 



leaflets oval to oblong L. frutescens 



Calyx of the petaliferous flowers two-thirds as long as the pod or more; 

 leaflets silvery-pubescent beneath L. simulata 



