Lespedeza angustifolia (Pursh) Elliott. Subgenus: Lespedeza. Section: Lespedezariae. clade: D. Common name: Narrow-leaved Lespedeza. Phenology: Aug-Oct; Sep-Nov. Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhill-pocosin ecotones and dry to moist pine savannas, mountain bogs, in the Piedmont especially in barrens with hardpan soils. Distribution: MA south to c. peninsular FL, west to s. MS, essentially a Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic, rarely disjunct inland to w. NC, c. GA, ec. TN (Chester, Wofford, & Kral 1997; Tennessee Flora Committee 2015), and sc. KY (T. Littlefield, pers.comm., 2020).
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Fl3, FNA11.1, G, K4, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, SE3, Tat, Tn, Va, W, WH3, Clewell (1966a), Clewell (1966b), Isely (1998); > Lespedeza angustifolia (Pursh) Elliott — F; > Lespedeza hirta (L.) Hornem. var. intercursa Fernald — F; Lespedeza capitata Michaux var. angustifolia Pursh. Basionym: Lespedeza capitata Michx. var. angustifolia Pursh 1814
Links to other floras: = Lespedeza angustifolia - FNA11.1
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC
- Northcentral & Northeast: FAC
Heliophily ⓘ: 8
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.





Feedback
See something wrong or missing on about Lespedeza angustifolia? Let us know here: (Please include your name and email if at all complicated so we can clarify if needed.) We greatly appreciate feedback, and will include updates from you in our next webapp update, which can take a few months. If a species is not keyed, that's because keying is ongoing. Please don't send us feedback about unkeyed species.
Horticultural Information
Intro: Erect to ascending perennial of sandhill-pocosin ecotones and dry to moist savannas as well as mountain bogs.
Stems: Stems mostly unbranched, covered with thin, longitudinal lines and closely pressed hairs.
Leaves: Leaves alternate; on short petioles with linear stipules that soon drop; divided into 3 narrowly linear leaflets, each 1/2-1 1/2 in. long and often hairy.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers in a dense cylindric to spherical spikes (1/3-1 in. long), on stalks from upper leaf axils; yellowish-white to cream; about 1/4 in. long; bilaterally symmetric and resembling pea-flower structure.
Fruits: Fruit a hairy, flattened, elliptic to oblong pod containing a single seed.
Comments:
Height: to 4 1/2 ft.
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description: Erect to ascending perennial of sandhill-pocosin ecotones and dry to moist savannas as well as mountain bogs.
stems: Stems mostly unbranched, covered with thin, longitudinal lines and closely pressed hairs.
leaves: Leaves alternate; on short petioles with linear stipules that soon drop; divided into 3 narrowly linear leaflets, each 1/2-1 1/2 in. long and often hairy.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers in a dense cylindric to spherical spikes (1/3-1 in. long), on stalks from upper leaf axils; yellowish-white to cream; about 1/4 in. long; bilaterally symmetric and resembling pea-flower structure.
fruits: Fruit a hairy, flattened, elliptic to oblong pod containing a single seed.
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range:
0 unsaved edits on this page.