Lespedeza bicolor
Turcz.
Lespedeza, Shrub lespedeza
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(c) autan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
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(c) 潘立傑 LiChieh Pan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Description
Lespedeza bicolor is a deciduous Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft 10in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Edible Uses
Tea. Young leaves and stems - cooked. Flowers - cooked. Seed - cooked. Occasionally boiled and eaten with rice. The leaves are used as a tea substitute..
Distribution
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Where It Grows
TEMPERATE ASIA: Amur, China (northeast), Eastern Siberia (Dahuria), Honshu, Japan (Hokkaido, Korea, Kyushu), Mongolia (east), Primorye, Russian Federation, Shikoku,Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia.
Cultivation
Easily grown in a well-drained light loam in full sun. Succeeds in light shade and in dry soils. The top growth is not very cold tolerant, although the rootstock is hardy to about -25°c. Plants are usually cut back to the ground in all but very mild winters, though they generally resprout well from the base in the following spring and flower in late summer. 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.
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, July/August 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.
Other Uses
Basketry Fodder Oil Shelterbelt Soil stabilization. The seed oil is used as a lubricant. The branchletsare used for making baskets. Because this species tolerates arid soils, it is grown as a windbreak, and for sand stabilization, and soil conservation.
Also Known As
Ezo-yama-hagi, Hagi
