Common Name: Chinese Lespedeza

General Information

Lespedeza cuneata is an erect to semi-erect, much-branchrd, herbaceous perennial plant with coarse to fine stems that can become more or less woody and persist; it can grow 60 - 100cm tall. The plant develops a woody, taproot system to a depth of 120cm or more; 2 - 3 year old plants may have 20 - 30 stems growing from this rootstock[, , , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of medicines and fibre. It is cultivated in soil stabilization and improvement projects, especially in the USA[].
Lespedeza cuneata has a wide distribution range and it is reported as weedy and invasive in the United States. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].
Extensively planted for soil stabilization and improvement, the plant has often escaped from cultivation, invading local ecosystems and driving out native species[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia

Habitat

Waste ground and grassy places all over lowland Japan[]. Moist shady places near water; at elevations from 1,700 - 2,300 metres in Kashmir[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects, Cleistogamous
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the subtropics to the tropics, it can survive milder winters in temperate areas (although top growth is usually killed back to the ground) but is more generally grown as a summer annual in temperate areas[, ]. It can be found at elevations up to 2,400 metres in the tropics[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 16 - 26°c, but can tolerate 6 - 36°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 650 - 2,350mm[].
Easily grown in a well-drained, light to heavy loam in full sun[, ]. The roots can penetrate heavy clay subsoils[]. It can grow in shallow soils, but grows best in deep soils, such as deep sands with organic matter or sandy loams with clay loam subsoil[]. It will also grow on strongly acidic to neutral soils[]. The plant is tolerant of poor, acid soils with high aluminium and low phosphorus levels[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.1[].
The plant produces cleistogamous flowers (closed flowers that produce fertile seed without being pollinated) as well as hermaphrodite flowes that are pollinated by insects, especially bees[].
Seedlings are very slow to establish and generally require some weeding to reduce competition from other plants[]. After the first year, plants compete very successfully with weeds[].
When fertility of degraded soils has improved sufficiently, this species can be replaced by more productive crops. Eradication can be achieved by increasing the cutting intensity, followed by light disking and then sowing a fast-growing annual crop. The procedure often has to be repeated the following year[].
In addition to the normally pollinated sexual flowers, this species also produces clusters of cleistogamous flowers in the leaf axils[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked after soaking[, , ].

Medicinal

The whole plant is anthelmintic, depurative and tonic[]. A decoction is used in the treatment of testicular tuberculosis, hernia, enuresis, dental caries, toothache, infantile marasmus/ascariasis, snake and dog bites, skin ulcers, dysentery and enteritis[]

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has an extensive root system and fixes atmospheric nitrogen through bacteria that live on its roots. It is used for stabilizing the soil and preventing erosion; in soil conservation schemes for renewing worn-out soils; and to improve soils generally[, ]. It is often the first species planted when rehabilitating strip mine spoils[]. In the dormant season, the above-ground growth becomes woody litter, which decomposes very slowly and accumulates on the soil surface, thereby improving soil fertility[].
The plant is a good source of food for bees[].

Other Uses

The fibres in the plant stems are made into paper pulp, which is used alone for cheap paper, or is blended with longer fibered pulps[].

The seeds are used in wild bird seed mixes[].

An extract of the whole plant is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a hair conditioner, antimicrobial, antioxidant, astringent and emollient[].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow it in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, mid summer in individual pots in a frame. It can be difficult to get the cuttings through their first winter, it is best to plunge the pots in a bed of ashes in a sheltered border outdoors[].