States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Thunberg's Lespedeza

Lespedeza thunbergii

Found in ‘Wildlife food plots’, roadbanks. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
3–6 feet
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Elliott's Blueberry
    Vaccinium elliottii

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Pink or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

    Different: bloom season

  • Swamp Rosemallow
    Hibiscus moscheutos

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Pink, red or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Bushy St. John's-wort
    Hypericum densiflorum

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
August to October

Recorded in 13 Alabama counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Lespedeza

  • Adelphia petrellaRusty-Banded Adelphia
  • Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
  • Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
  • Cecropterus confusisConfusing Cloudywing, Confused Cloudy Wing
  • Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Show all 26
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
  • Diphthera festivaHieroglyphic Moth
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Pococera scortealisLaspedeza Webworm
  • Ptichodis herbarumCommon Ptichodis
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Triclonella pergandeellaSweetclover Root Borer, Bush-Clover Triclonella
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Cosmopterix attenuatella
  • Porphyrosela desmodiella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lespedeza

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Pink or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Thunbergs Bush Clover

Conservation status

Alabama rankNot available
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources