Wikimedia Commons
Fabaceae
Bush Clover
Lespedeza thunbergii
Grace and autumn beauty.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Lespedeza
- Native to
- China, Japan, Korea
- Bloom season
- Late Summer, Fall
- Type
- deciduous shrub
- Height
- 3-6 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, tolerates poor and dry soils
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Bush clover is one of the Seven Grasses of Autumn in Japanese tradition, celebrated in poetry for over 1,300 years.
- As a legume, it fixes nitrogen in the soil through root nodules, naturally improving soil fertility wherever it grows.
- The arching stems can reach 6 feet in a single growing season, dying back to the ground each winter and regrowing.
- In Japan, bush clover appears on the hagi playing card in the traditional hanafuda card game.
- Despite its name, bush clover is not a true clover but belongs to a separate genus within the pea family.
Color meanings
0
elegance
1
modesty
2
nostalgia