Vasilis Teodoridis:
Fabaceae | Lespedeza
8. Lespedeza bicolor Turczaninow; Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou. 13: 69. 1840.
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Lespedeza bicolor var. japonica Nakai; L. bicolor f. pendula S. L. Tung & Z. Lu; L. ionocalyx Nakai; L. veitchii Ricker.
Shrubs; erect; 1-3 m tall; much branched. Branchlets sparsely pubescent. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 2-7(-9) cm; leaflets abaxially pale green; adaxially green; ovate; obovate; or ovate-oblong; terminal one 1.5-6 x 1-3.5 cm; abaxially pilose; adaxially glabrous; base subrounded or broadly cuneate; apex obtuse-rounded or emarginate; mucronate. Racemes axillary; longer than leaves; often branched in large lax panicles; peduncle 4-10 cm. Pedicel ca. 2 mm; densely hairy. Calyx ca. 5 mm; 5-lobed; lobes shorter than tube. Corolla reddish purple; ca. 1 cm; standard obovate; apex emarginate; wings suboblong; short; base auriculate; clawed; keel subequal to standard; base long clawed; apex obtuse. Ovary hairy. Legume obliquely obovoid; slightly flat; ca. 10 x 5 mm; densely pubescent; reticulate veined. Fl. Jul-Sep; fr. Sep-Oct. 2n = 22*.
Mountain slopes; forest margins; roadsides; thickets; forests; 100-1000 m. Anhui; Fujian; Gansu; Guangdong; Guangxi; Hebei; Heilongjiang; Henan; Hunan; Jiangsu; Jilin; Liaoning; Nei Mongol; Shaanxi; Shandong; Shanxi; Zhejiang [Japan; Korea; ?Mongolia; Russia].
The seed oil is used as a lubricant; the leaves as a tea substitute; and the branchlets for making baskets. Because this species tolerates arid soils; it is grown as a windbreak and for sand stabilization and soil conservation.