Henbest, Orrin J.

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Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 3 Article 91950Lespedezas of Northwest ArkansasOrrin J. HenbestUniversity of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Botany CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academyof Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationHenbest, Orrin J. (1950) "Lespedezas of Northwest Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 3 , Article 9.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/923THE LESPEDEZAS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSASOrrin J. Henbest, FoyettevilleINTRODUCTIONThe uplands of Northwest Arkansas are the meeting-place, soto speak, of at least three plant regions—the oak-hickoryforests from the north and east, the prairies from the west, andthe gulf coastal plains from the south. This Intermixture ofplant types together with the varied habitats provided by thewide range of geological formations, mountains, plains, andprairies produces a flora rich in genera and species.This paper deals with the floras of that part of the Ozarkand Boston Mountains which lies In six counties and the adjacentparts of six more counties in the Northwestern corner of thestate.DISCUSSIONThe lespedas are particularly Interesting because of thelarge number of species, their wide distribution, their erosion-control and soil-building qualities, their Importance as farmcrops, and their value as food for wildlife. It Is an easy mat-ter to collect six or eight species within a small area of a fewacres, but nowhere does one find a dense stand of any of thenative species. Many specimens are difficult to Identify usingall the manuals available (1,2, 3 and 4). No one manual coversthis area completely, but rather Includes it In the outer edgeof the region treated in the manual. As a result many of thedescriptions do not fit our forms accurately.Of the 125 species of lespedeza, only two are annuals, anda few of the perennial species are shrubs. Their range appearsto be limited to the eastern parts of the Old and New Worlds inthe north temperate zone. The twenty odd native species in.theeastern United States and southeastern Canada are all perennialherbs.A large number of annual, perennial, and shrubby specieshave been introduced into the United States to observe theirvalues for forage, erosion control, and as ornamentals. By farthe most valuable of these are the species and varieties of L.striata and L. stipulacea—the only two annual species belong-ing to this genus.Pieters (5) said of the former, "The common lespedeza haslong been in the United States, the earliest record being fromMonticello, Georgia, in 1846 Itspread to Alabama and Mississlppl by 1867 and was well known Inparts of Tennessee In1870.In 1880 it was being cut for hay in Louisiana." It is supposedthat the seeds were brought from Japan or China in some teaboxes.Many farmers were mystified at the sudden appearance of"Japan clover" in their community and are becoming accustomed tothink of lespedeza in terms of hay and soil conservation. Theyhave accepted It as a life-saver for soil much in the same waythat Bermuda grass is prized on the severely eroded soils incentral and southern Arkansas."Korean lespedeza was sent to the United States In1919 by-Ralph Mills, a medical missionary in Chosen (formerly Korea)" (5)23Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 195024Lespedeza striata is so well adapted to varying conditionsand produces such an abundance of seed that it is widely used inpasture mixtures and as a soil improving crop. Some of its im-proved varieties, known as Kobe and Tennessee 76, have proven to bevaluable hay crops, but are not as generally popular in Arkansasas is Korean lespedeza (L. stipulacea). The varieties of thelatter species, Harbin and early Korean, are early-maturing andare adaptable to the northern states and southern Canada wherethe summers are shorter.Sericea lespedeza (L. sericea) is gaining importance as aforage crop on acid or sandy soils comparable to the position ofalfalfa on the nearly neutral or limestone soils. The two annualspecies and sericea are unrivaled as soil Improvers and forageplants for Impoverished soils in the southeastern United States.Of the native species only a few show even faint values as ero-sion control or forage plants. Five species are used as browseby deer, and the leaves of a few more species are eaten by wildturkey (7). Cattle occasionally eat L. repens and possibly L.virginica. The prostrate species L. repens and L. procumbens havea habit which would aid in erosion control were they to grow indense stands. The latter species does this to a limited extentand is worthy of further trial.Graham (7) has shown that the fruits and leaves of manyspecies are used as food by several forms of song birds and gamebirds and mammals. The author (8) found that lespedeza seedsmade up one-fourth of the food of the bobwhite. The crop of onebobwhite was found to contain approximately 4000 lespedezaseeds—mostly L. striata and L. stipulacea.Several lespedezas, notably L. bicolor, have been Introducedas ornamentals because of their showy flowers, and have also be-come useful on eroding field borders and wildlife areas for ero-sion control and food for wildlife.In the northern part of their range the lespedezas must beinoculated in order to obtain good yields. Scarification orsoftening of the seed coat is advisable In the perennial speciesfor some of them produce a high percentage of hard seed.Dry open woods, glades, Idle fields, and prairies are thenatural habitats of our native lespedezas. A few species areshade tolerant but most of them enjoy only partial shade or com-pletely open areas. Acid soils are generally preferred by mostspecies, for on cherty soils which are strongly acid one may findseveral species within a small area.August and September find the largest number of species inbloom, but the range of dates of blooming begins with L. repensin early May and extends through September with L. hirta and L.capitata.CONSPECTUSLESPEDEZA Mlchx. Herbs or shrubs. Leaves plnnately 3-foil-ate, rarely one; leaflets not stipellate. Flowers perfect, peta-liferous, most species having both apetalous and petaliferousflowers. Calyx 5-cleft, the lobes nearly equal, slender, or thetwo upper ones more or less united. Corolla pink, purplish,cream color, or whitish; the standard broad, clawed; the wingsand keel petals clawed. Stamens 10 (9 and 1, or the upper stamenpartially united with the sheath), anthers all alike. Lomentsimple (or sometimes 2-jointed, with the lower Joint empty andstalk-like). Flowers May -September. Pods sometimes remain on24Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/925Ithe dry stalks through the winter. (Dedicated to LESPEDEZ, theSpanish governor of Florida in the time of Michaux.)Deam (9) points out, "In a study of this genus the two kindsof pods and the relative length of the calyx and its lobes shouldbe noted. The pods of cleistogamous flowers are usually broadlyoval and short and have very short calyx lobes of nearly equallength, mostly 0.5-2 mm long, and a short, recurved style, usual-ly less than 1 mm long. The pods of petal iferous flowers areusually not so wide and are longer, the calyx lobes more irregu-lar in length and much longer than those of the cleistogamousflowers, and the style is much longer and not recurved.The forms covered in this report include thirteen nativeand introduced species and one variety occurring in NorthwestArkansas (based on the herbarium of the University of Arkansasand the author's collection), and five species and two varietiesreported in various manuals with their ranges extending into thissection of the state. These unconfirmed forms are as follows:L. prairea Britt., L. Nuttalli Darl., L. Manniana Mack. & Bush.,L. Stuevei f. augustifolia (Britt.) Hopkins, L. Stuevei var neg-lecta Britt., L. acuticarpa Mack & Bush., and L. augustifolia(Pursh.) Ell. It is expected that further collections and exami-nations of other herbaria will verify these species and add morespecies to our list.A key to the sections based on Small's treatment of thegenus and a key to the species and varieties are given followedby a chart showing the synonyms and the diagnostic features ofthe species and varieties. It is to be noted that L. sericea isincluded in close relationship with L. virginica because of itssimilar vegetative characters.KEY TO THE LESPEDEZAS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSASSection I. STRIATAE. Annuals; stipules and bracts broad andscarious; calyx lobes about as wide as long, shorter thanthe pod; flowers of two kinds, petalif erous and apetalous.Section II. VIOLACEAE. Perennial herbs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, shorterthan the pod; flowers of two kinds, petaliferous and apeta-lous; corolla purple or purplish (greenish-yellow In L.sericea) .Section III.BICOLORAE. Perennial shrubs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, muchshorter than pod; flowers all alike; petaliferous, purpleor white; panicles open.Section IV. CAPITATAE. Perennial herbs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, as longas or longer than the pod; flowers all alike, petaliferous,whitish or cream-color; panicles congested, usually capitateI. STRIATAEPubescence of stem appressed downward; leafletsoblong-obovate; calyx lobes bluntlypointed, almost as long as the pointedpods 1. L. striataPubescence of stem appressed upward; leafletsbroadly obovate; calyx lobes rounded,about one-fourth as long as the rounded,strongly reticulated pod25Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 195026II.VIOLACEAEFlower clusters slender-peduncled, mostly 2-4times as long as their subtending leavesStems and leaflets woolly or soft-downywith short spreading hairs; stemsbranched at base, the branches trail-Ing or procumbent 3. L. procumbensStems and leaflets glabrate or sparinglyappressed pubescent; stems slender,branched, and trailing or spreadinguprightStems very slender, prostrate or trail-Ing; leaflets small, 6-15 mm long;stipules mostly 2-4.5 mm long. . . 4. L. repensStems upright or spreading; leafletslarger; stipules mostly 5-8 mmlong; petal Iferous flowers pani-culateInflorescence close, short-pedun-cled; calyx-lobes half as longas pod; main leaflets 20-50 mmlong 5. L. violaceaInflorescence lax, long-peduncled;calyx-lobes one-fourth as longas pod; main leaflets 6-18 mmlong 6. L. praireaFlower clusters stouter-peduncled, some ofthem shorter than the leaves, makingthem appear spike-like or head-likeCalyx of petallferous flowers 6-9 mm long,two-thirds as long as the pod or more 7. L. MannianaCalyx of petaliferous flowers 3-5 mm long,one-half as long as pod or lessLeaflets oval to suborbicular or obo-vate, downy or woolly beneath. . . 8. L. NuttalliiLeaflets oblong to oblong-elllptlc,appressed-pube scent beneath. ... 9. L. acuticarpaFlowers clusters sessile or nearly soCalyx of petaliferous flowers 3-5 mm long,rarely half as long as the podLeaflets densely woolly beneathLeaflets elliptical to orbicular . . 10. L. StueveiLeaflets linear to linear-oblongUpper surface of leaflets tomen-tose-strigose with longhairs, lower surface moredensely so; petioles ofprincipal caullne leavesaveraging 17 mm long11. L. Stuevei f. augustifoliaUpper surface of leaflets downy,the lower surface moredensely so; plant similar toL. Stuevei, butsmaller 12. L. Stuevei var neglectaLeaflets appressed-pubescent or gla-brate beneathLeaflets linear to linear-oblongApex truncate or obtuse, flowerspurple 13. L. virginicaApex truncate, leaflets cuneate,flowers greenish -yellow. . . 14. L. sericeaLeaflets oval to oblong; petalifer-ous often short-peduncled . . . 15. L. frutescensCalyx of petallferous flowers 6-8 mm long,two-thirds as long as the pod or more. 16. L. simulata26Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/927III.BICOLORAETall perennial shrubs with slender branches,large ovate to obovate leaflets, spar-ingly pubescent beneath, and lax panic-les of showy purple or white flowers . . 17. L. bicolorIV. CAPITATAELeaflets oval, ovate, or oblongPeduncles mostly longer than the leaves;spike cylindrlc 18. L. hirtaPeduncles shorter than the leaves; spikesubglobose 19. L. capitataLeaflets linear to linear-oblong or linear-lanceolateSpike subglobose; bracts and calyx-lobesconspicuously long-tipped; calyxabout 8 ram long 20. L. capitata var longifoliaSpike densely-flowered; bracts andcalyx-lobes not conspicuously longtipped; calyx about 6 mm long . . . . 21. L. augustifoliaSUMMARYFourteen native and introduced lespedezas found in NorthwestArkansas are discussed along with seven species and varietieswhich possibly occur In this part of the state. Their values foragriculture, erosion control, and wildlife are discussed. Aids"for identification are presented by a key to the species and by achart showing in tabular form the diagnostic features of thespecies and varieties.LITERATURE CITED(1) Britton, K.L. and A. Brown, An Illustrated Flora of theNorthern United States and Canada. Second Edition.1913.(2) Gray, A., New Manual of Botany. Seventh Edition. 1908(3) Rydberg, P. A., Flora of the Prairies and Plains ofCentral North America. 1932.(4) Small, J.K., Manual of the Southeastern Flora. 1933*(5) Pieters, A.J., The Annual Lespedezas as Forage andSoil-Conserving Crops. U.S. Dept. of AgricultureCir. 536. 1939.(6) Pieters, A.J., Lespedeza Sericea and Other PerennialLespedezas for Forage and Soil Conservation. U.S.Dept. of Agriculture Cir. 534. 1939.(7) Graham, E.H., Legumes for Erosion Control and Wildlife.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Misc. Publ. 412. 1941.(8) Henbest, O.J., Preliminary Report of the Legumes of theArkansas Uplands. Proc . Ark. Acad. Sci. I: 21-23.1942.(9) Deam, C.C., Flora, of Indiana, Ind. Dept. of Conserva-tion, 1940.(10) Fassett, N.C., The Leguminous Plants of Wisconsin.Madison, 1939.(11) Palmer, E.J., and J.A. Steyermark, An Annotated Cata-logue of the Flowering Plants of Missouri. Ann. Mo.Bot. Gard. 22. 1935.27Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1950-'DIAGNOSTIC FFATURES OF THE LF5 P fD ET Z A5 or N.SPFClFs or SYNONYMS S T F M L t_ A V E sLESPfDEZA* R'""""5 H A D IT PUBF5CFAKF PETIOLC Ij;"ffr'TS L E A F L F T 5r"1""" s ™'t"'" A-^-L-i^L''°<sii!^•3-8Jmh*""* b*"L. r«p.m [U¦•«. r,'«. »»mlur!" ' ,"^l*"./-"" "".I'm"""1 "'-Tr"m").*4" "kiw't.'""""'"'""r.*'..*.1""y^TdV'''"' r•"•"" *"*'•""f , , ,'"" "L. yioUnl(L.) P«ra, r',6m o«j»s kran.i.v P>l»'«l t1»'«'«J U«"«l t *'»' IrlilM] JOT. r*ml,y r€t»J* ajjltu*0 l>r,-j»t <r Anr,,,^ Ob.vllr PrivclHlItiflta 5J«i^~iL'yww'"&"£'"*' P Sl**"c*€ < »4«^t ot:>'")< •"™"" '''jjl'/itU*J-B fa3w.uc. »•'••"B,D ImtjttulM«•'« "• '•" »««j lo>, teafl.tj oTTi tl zf.fc -.»,;„, ott.i. .r 5"1L. Nuttalli; Borl. Gjj,51m,/, .rtn.d.J P«l.fj«e^t 5*.,.tCr «'**"'"';'ji,*"*""4""'Ar I»t»»iJ jlitJS.'jJ--IZd^ l«»<«« Jt.f-' at base >,,}|d» 3-9 dm %,¦?;;;• »*" ¦¦¦»¦..(¦ '«gg»^Lacull<:«r. , B ''"""dV"^ G-?«4rate to Oblenj to IWr-»lo^ Oot-.. .r S),^,,,'T-'I'i"^""1"' J"'is.";.^" ,rt"fci»- "-"lstu.w f. 4n u«f p '"i*"rrr '*?"''*"j'ittitWi1**'*'ti"i*p *• rTtV",',')e»^«J JA.rO, H...frf,.). „„„,.i,13 SimiUr tp Stwtwi 9>mlUr to iti«*fgi 5»>vl(J 3u4>u)tte Lir»«ftr pT . n1>[_r°[^t"'r^- ,-—* v~"> L.»ri»»"»'ii« rn. qy ;^;;i;lyl*;;;,„'.«« •¦•«'«'"'" Kr r«U" StS»i« >n.n, sar.i,acute j*wi«'uJIi£"Ay*" - ' 3-i,dW >•"> >¦•"*» __!^LL.lnUrmH>^>...)»»«. OiO rre.t, il.nj.r, F,-Be). acffMicJ- sltr.Jir L.4flfljfrr« o><4) t. st>». UtLfUtio»t»n, 6Mrj»iL>rut.5C..I3 (L)Br.tt. I.W"'"'!'""- «» Sii.1.fr .rin.li.J Putfjc—t ,l»"3 Biri9'~M-1 "¦•" »t;.»J )«•-»<>m»)«. tr.ntitt it,,iL. 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P)"M«. 3-sj.ll, M....I «' t»« 5.ut».«««r» F|.,». r^—1SSStta T~TTl o r r s c tnct I ~~F [ o w r r s -f R u i t range habitat comh»«j_ N i 1 £7 e A L V X 1 FTTTc. 1 corolla 1 1 ovrRlWS, fc * 6"'L IIAMrs_!____ '!D""tLE SH r FLowfus l*yit>"ru°t""r* !.fii»ni color size macscriwf'""' J5ai!ft««(**» »• """ ""•1) J-« «•¦•'•'"^'V1' WiW"*" .„,-.,.«. &*p''»t''"'"'« ftjcr**" _^* i£s?»?m " '""''la'KS." *•'!>«""'•" /i.I3-li/re, 3./"""'•-"' 0*eIfiMflj Sir/'* '*"J Vc"«*«*« ""SMS" P«*««»«a;; "LL__^1! "V.nVA"^^ "*"•"* .—±T- \^J.r, •*•*} ThTTt s--».»l.», TV*HI**! Pu.-Pie f-fm ova) f-« ™- S?'Z"«r> m k*" "S*T?i^ s»i^-.«.). %r.":i. erwW€j JL"l"f^'^r"° ("nd J vT7 7^~1*«-»"«;i^^^lrS55--:5-/uirni l/(»««-c«»>«««»t tilifft-n ,n a/"f »¦7 "•"*" vT^ 3-»m». J»»j T«-o k/«Jj furfUtr f-imm •»»••?• *••«>* »*M#«I« «•' ffJf "'¦'•' s)»"Jt'-¦><•¦•"' •vcorl, JiSJl/e Cr.wJ.J >,n ).<••> /"^ >»•' »""r V.'oltt ,,„, S»i.rJ.,.H „„,!,U*J*r »rfltinas Hi.nt akait ttlrraic L.lf,e d.*O¦•an.1 • cr.^.J 'n ~~ .r ;/« Uul»* ' «»" •¦- «... cal,« ''?^"'.,°")<s S.S' "•¦*»«' ' ' " , SS.Jh^,""'V'J " ° =•<¦•«"« »..iM .«..!>< *M-ltft-r-^rs ;F.«i-«t •.«—(».«-—-£J^U^T TT^~n^~s a)> «1'« »W*h»* •' M»» «.»»<(- j-»»-?t«j «•**.» ""'s 1'"'"1"!"V.r^T"1*i.^f^- K.«"^ JBlisU feiiK w.«SiwJ.»< JC. /.,, »..t| ,,,-,i.d ¦'¦'r*-.! ti) j,, <tw e i__ ''gj**,*,?*/.! ;,'/¦!, "'''"' r°"'""d iiju ,;.v,fT" ?77;iTS|iy P«»lc).J j-< m> l.»5 A))a)'ir> o»J P»rf)» lTTJ. F't'/JJ, t,) "''TlJ'"'- "I'l'st""-'i'c" "wil'iVt—l"'"/•'•J««-«b^«.^ Ja/.ar, I29Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 195030Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/9

Lespedezas of Northwest Arkansas

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 3 Article 9 1950 Lespedezas of Northwest Arkansas Orrin J. Henbest University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Henbest, Orrin J. (1950) "Lespedezas of Northwest Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 3 , Article 9. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/9 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 23THE LESPEDEZAS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSASOrrin J. Henbest, FoyettevilleINTRODUCTIONThe uplands of Northwest Arkansas are the meeting-place, soto speak, of at least three plant regions—the oak-hickoryforests from the north and east, the prairies from the west, andthe gulf coastal plains from the south. This Intermixture ofplant types together with the varied habitats provided by thewide range of geological formations, mountains, plains, andprairies produces a flora rich in genera and species.This paper deals with the floras of that part of the Ozarkand Boston Mountains which lies In six counties and the adjacentparts of six more counties in the Northwestern corner of thestate.DISCUSSIONThe lespedas are particularly Interesting because of thelarge number of species, their wide distribution, their erosion-control and soil-building qualities, their Importance as farmcrops, and their value as food for wildlife. It Is an easy mat-ter to collect six or eight species within a small area of a fewacres, but nowhere does one find a dense stand of any of thenative species. Many specimens are difficult to Identify usingall the manuals available (1,2, 3 and 4). No one manual coversthis area completely, but rather Includes it In the outer edgeof the region treated in the manual. As a result many of thedescriptions do not fit our forms accurately.Of the 125 species of lespedeza, only two are annuals, anda few of the perennial species are shrubs. Their range appearsto be limited to the eastern parts of the Old and New Worlds inthe north temperate zone. The twenty odd native species in.theeastern United States and southeastern Canada are all perennialherbs.A large number of annual, perennial, and shrubby specieshave been introduced into the United States to observe theirvalues for forage, erosion control, and as ornamentals. By farthe most valuable of these are the species and varieties of L.striata and L. stipulacea—the only two annual species belong-ing to this genus.Pieters (5) said of the former, "The common lespedeza haslong been in the United States, the earliest record being fromMonticello, Georgia, in 1846 Itspread to Alabama and Mississlppl by 1867 and was well known Inparts of Tennessee In1870.In 1880 it was being cut for hay in Louisiana." It is supposedthat the seeds were brought from Japan or China in some teaboxes.Many farmers were mystified at the sudden appearance of"Japan clover" in their community and are becoming accustomed tothink of lespedeza in terms of hay and soil conservation. Theyhave accepted It as a life-saver for soil much in the same waythat Bermuda grass is prized on the severely eroded soils incentral and southern Arkansas."Korean lespedeza was sent to the United States In1919 by-Ralph Mills, a medical missionary in Chosen (formerly Korea)" (5)23Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 195024Lespedeza striata is so well adapted to varying conditionsand produces such an abundance of seed that it is widely used inpasture mixtures and as a soil improving crop. Some of its im-proved varieties, known as Kobe and Tennessee 76, have proven to bevaluable hay crops, but are not as generally popular in Arkansasas is Korean lespedeza (L. stipulacea). The varieties of thelatter species, Harbin and early Korean, are early-maturing andare adaptable to the northern states and southern Canada wherethe summers are shorter.Sericea lespedeza (L. sericea) is gaining importance as aforage crop on acid or sandy soils comparable to the position ofalfalfa on the nearly neutral or limestone soils. The two annualspecies and sericea are unrivaled as soil Improvers and forageplants for Impoverished soils in the southeastern United States.Of the native species only a few show even faint values as ero-sion control or forage plants. Five species are used as browseby deer, and the leaves of a few more species are eaten by wildturkey (7). Cattle occasionally eat L. repens and possibly L.virginica. The prostrate species L. repens and L. procumbens havea habit which would aid in erosion control were they to grow indense stands. The latter species does this to a limited extentand is worthy of further trial.Graham (7) has shown that the fruits and leaves of manyspecies are used as food by several forms of song birds and gamebirds and mammals. The author (8) found that lespedeza seedsmade up one-fourth of the food of the bobwhite. The crop of onebobwhite was found to contain approximately 4000 lespedezaseeds—mostly L. striata and L. stipulacea.Several lespedezas, notably L. bicolor, have been Introducedas ornamentals because of their showy flowers, and have also be-come useful on eroding field borders and wildlife areas for ero-sion control and food for wildlife.In the northern part of their range the lespedezas must beinoculated in order to obtain good yields. Scarification orsoftening of the seed coat is advisable In the perennial speciesfor some of them produce a high percentage of hard seed.Dry open woods, glades, Idle fields, and prairies are thenatural habitats of our native lespedezas. A few species areshade tolerant but most of them enjoy only partial shade or com-pletely open areas. Acid soils are generally preferred by mostspecies, for on cherty soils which are strongly acid one may findseveral species within a small area.August and September find the largest number of species inbloom, but the range of dates of blooming begins with L. repensin early May and extends through September with L. hirta and L.capitata.CONSPECTUSLESPEDEZA Mlchx. Herbs or shrubs. Leaves plnnately 3-foil-ate, rarely one; leaflets not stipellate. Flowers perfect, peta-liferous, most species having both apetalous and petaliferousflowers. Calyx 5-cleft, the lobes nearly equal, slender, or thetwo upper ones more or less united. Corolla pink, purplish,cream color, or whitish; the standard broad, clawed; the wingsand keel petals clawed. Stamens 10 (9 and 1, or the upper stamenpartially united with the sheath), anthers all alike. Lomentsimple (or sometimes 2-jointed, with the lower Joint empty andstalk-like). Flowers May -September. Pods sometimes remain on24Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/925Ithe dry stalks through the winter. (Dedicated to LESPEDEZ, theSpanish governor of Florida in the time of Michaux.)Deam (9) points out, "In a study of this genus the two kindsof pods and the relative length of the calyx and its lobes shouldbe noted. The pods of cleistogamous flowers are usually broadlyoval and short and have very short calyx lobes of nearly equallength, mostly 0.5-2 mm long, and a short, recurved style, usual-ly less than 1 mm long. The pods of petal iferous flowers areusually not so wide and are longer, the calyx lobes more irregu-lar in length and much longer than those of the cleistogamousflowers, and the style is much longer and not recurved.The forms covered in this report include thirteen nativeand introduced species and one variety occurring in NorthwestArkansas (based on the herbarium of the University of Arkansasand the author's collection), and five species and two varietiesreported in various manuals with their ranges extending into thissection of the state. These unconfirmed forms are as follows:L. prairea Britt., L. Nuttalli Darl., L. Manniana Mack. & Bush.,L. Stuevei f. augustifolia (Britt.) Hopkins, L. Stuevei var neg-lecta Britt., L. acuticarpa Mack & Bush., and L. augustifolia(Pursh.) Ell. It is expected that further collections and exami-nations of other herbaria will verify these species and add morespecies to our list.A key to the sections based on Small's treatment of thegenus and a key to the species and varieties are given followedby a chart showing the synonyms and the diagnostic features ofthe species and varieties. It is to be noted that L. sericea isincluded in close relationship with L. virginica because of itssimilar vegetative characters.KEY TO THE LESPEDEZAS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSASSection I. STRIATAE. Annuals; stipules and bracts broad andscarious; calyx lobes about as wide as long, shorter thanthe pod; flowers of two kinds, petalif erous and apetalous.Section II. VIOLACEAE. Perennial herbs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, shorterthan the pod; flowers of two kinds, petaliferous and apeta-lous; corolla purple or purplish (greenish-yellow In L.sericea) .Section III.BICOLORAE. Perennial shrubs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, muchshorter than pod; flowers all alike; petaliferous, purpleor white; panicles open.Section IV. CAPITATAE. Perennial herbs; stipules subulate;bracts minute; calyx lobes much longer than wide, as longas or longer than the pod; flowers all alike, petaliferous,whitish or cream-color; panicles congested, usually capitateI. STRIATAEPubescence of stem appressed downward; leafletsoblong-obovate; calyx lobes bluntlypointed, almost as long as the pointedpods 1. L. striataPubescence of stem appressed upward; leafletsbroadly obovate; calyx lobes rounded,about one-fourth as long as the rounded,strongly reticulated pod25Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 195026II.VIOLACEAEFlower clusters slender-peduncled, mostly 2-4times as long as their subtending leavesStems and leaflets woolly or soft-downywith short spreading hairs; stemsbranched at base, the branches trail-Ing or procumbent 3. L. procumbensStems and leaflets glabrate or sparinglyappressed pubescent; stems slender,branched, and trailing or spreadinguprightStems very slender, prostrate or trail-Ing; leaflets small, 6-15 mm long;stipules mostly 2-4.5 mm long. . . 4. L. repensStems upright or spreading; leafletslarger; stipules mostly 5-8 mmlong; petal Iferous flowers pani-culateInflorescence close, short-pedun-cled; calyx-lobes half as longas pod; main leaflets 20-50 mmlong 5. L. violaceaInflorescence lax, long-peduncled;calyx-lobes one-fourth as longas pod; main leaflets 6-18 mmlong 6. L. praireaFlower clusters stouter-peduncled, some ofthem shorter than the leaves, makingthem appear spike-like or head-likeCalyx of petallferous flowers 6-9 mm long,two-thirds as long as the pod or more 7. L. MannianaCalyx of petaliferous flowers 3-5 mm long,one-half as long as pod or lessLeaflets oval to suborbicular or obo-vate, downy or woolly beneath. . . 8. L. NuttalliiLeaflets oblong to oblong-elllptlc,appressed-pube scent beneath. ... 9. L. acuticarpaFlowers clusters sessile or nearly soCalyx of petaliferous flowers 3-5 mm long,rarely half as long as the podLeaflets densely woolly beneathLeaflets elliptical to orbicular . . 10. L. StueveiLeaflets linear to linear-oblongUpper surface of leaflets tomen-tose-strigose with longhairs, lower surface moredensely so; petioles ofprincipal caullne leavesaveraging 17 mm long11. L. Stuevei f. augustifoliaUpper surface of leaflets downy,the lower surface moredensely so; plant similar toL. Stuevei, butsmaller 12. L. Stuevei var neglectaLeaflets appressed-pubescent or gla-brate beneathLeaflets linear to linear-oblongApex truncate or obtuse, flowerspurple 13. L. virginicaApex truncate, leaflets cuneate,flowers greenish -yellow. . . 14. L. sericeaLeaflets oval to oblong; petalifer-ous often short-peduncled . . . 15. L. frutescensCalyx of petallferous flowers 6-8 mm long,two-thirds as long as the pod or more. 16. L. simulata26Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol3/iss1/927III.BICOLORAETall perennial shrubs with slender branches,large ovate to obovate leaflets, spar-ingly pubescent beneath, and lax panic-les of showy purple or white flowers . . 17. L. bicolorIV. CAPITATAELeaflets oval, ovate, or oblongPeduncles mostly longer than the leaves;spike cylindrlc 18. L. hirtaPeduncles shorter than the leaves; spikesubglobose 19. L. capitataLeaflets linear to linear-oblong or linear-lanceolateSpike subglobose; bracts and calyx-lobesconspicuously long-tipped; calyxabout 8 ram long 20. L. capitata var longifoliaSpike densely-flowered; bracts andcalyx-lobes not conspicuously longtipped; calyx about 6 mm long . . . . 21. L. augustifoliaSUMMARYFourteen native and introduced lespedezas found in NorthwestArkansas are discussed along with seven species and varietieswhich possibly occur In this part of the state. Their values foragriculture, erosion control, and wildlife are discussed. Aids"for identification are presented by a key to the species and by achart showing in tabular form the diagnostic features of thespecies and varieties.LITERATURE CITED(1) Britton, K.L. and A. Brown, An Illustrated Flora of theNorthern United States and Canada. Second Edition.1913.(2) Gray, A., New Manual of Botany. Seventh Edition. 1908(3) Rydberg, P. A., Flora of the Prairies and Plains ofCentral North America. 1932.(4) Small, J.K., Manual of the Southeastern Flora. 1933*(5) Pieters, A.J., The Annual Lespedezas as Forage andSoil-Conserving Crops. U.S. Dept. of AgricultureCir. 536. 1939.(6) Pieters, A.J., Lespedeza Sericea and Other PerennialLespedezas for Forage and Soil Conservation. U.S.Dept. of Agriculture Cir. 534. 1939.(7) Graham, E.H., Legumes for Erosion Control and Wildlife.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Misc. Publ. 412. 1941.(8) Henbest, O.J., Preliminary Report of the Legumes of theArkansas Uplands. Proc . Ark. Acad. Sci. I: 21-23.1942.(9) Deam, C.C., Flora, of Indiana, Ind. Dept. of Conserva-tion, 1940.(10) Fassett, N.C., The Leguminous Plants of Wisconsin.Madison, 1939.(11) Palmer, E.J., and J.A. Steyermark, An Annotated Cata-logue of the Flowering Plants of Missouri. Ann. Mo.Bot. Gard. 22. 1935.27Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 3 [1950], Art. 9Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1950-'DIAGNOSTIC FFATURES OF THE LF5 P fD ET Z A5 or N.SPFClFs or SYNONYMS S T F M L t_ A V E sLESPfDEZA*R'""""5 H A D IT PUBF5CFAKF PETIOLC Ij;"ffr'TS L E A F L F T 5r"1"""s ™'t"'" A-^-L-i^L''°<sii!^•3-8Jmh*""* b*"L. r«p.m [U¦•«. r,'«. »»mlur!"' ,"^l*"./-"" "".I'm"""1 "'-Tr"m").*4" "kiw't.'""""'"'""r.*'..*.1""y^TdV'''"' r•"•"" *"*'•""f, , ,'"" "L. yioUnl(L.) P«ra, r',6m o«j»s kran.i.v P>l»'«l t1»'«'«J U«"«l t *'»' IrlilM] JOT. r*ml,y r€t»J* ajjltu*0 l>r,-j»t <r Anr,,,^ Ob.vllr PrivclHlItiflta 5J«i^~iL'yww'"&"£'"*' P Sl**"c*€ < »4«^t ot:>'")< •"™"" '''jjl'/itU*J-B fa3 w.uc. »•'••"B,D ImtjttulM«•'« "• '•" »««j lo>, teafl.tj oTTi tl zf.fc -.»,;„, ott.i. .r 5"1L. Nuttalli; Borl. 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Flora of tk« Pra.i-i«s •¦ Plainsyl.ft %^ VSUtrtSWrn,,*, Ann.t.Cat .t F). P)"M«. 3-sj.ll, M....I «' t»« 5.ut».«««r» F|.,». r^—1SSStta T~TTl o r r s c tnct I ~~F [ o w r r s -f R u i t range habitat comh»«j_ N i 1 £7 e A L V X 1 FTTTc. 1 corolla 1 1 ovrRlWS, fc * 6"'L IIAMrs_!____ '!D""tLE SH r FLowfus l*yit> "ru°t""r* !.fii»ni color size macscriwf'""' J5ai!ft««(**» »• """ ""•1) J-« «•¦•'•' "^'V1' WiW"*" .„,-.,.«. &*p''»t''"'"'« ftjcr**" _^* i£s?»?m " '""''la'KS." *•'!>«""'•" /i.I3-li/re, 3./"""'•-"' 0*eIfiMflj Sir/'*'*"J Vc"«*«*« ""SMS" P«*««»«a;; "LL__^1! "V.nVA"^^ "*"•"* .—±T- \^J.r, •*•*} ThTTt s--».»l.», TV*HI**! Pu.-Pie f-fm ova) f-« ™- S?'Z"«r> m k*""S*T?i^ s»i^-.«.). %r.":i. erwW€j JL"l"f^'^r"° ("nd J vT7 7̂~1*«-»"«;i^^^lrS55--:5-/uirni l/(»««-c«»>«««»t tilifft-n ,n a/"f »¦7"•"*" vT^ 3-»m». 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Lespedezas of Northwest Arkansas

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