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Thunberg's Lespedeza

Lespedeza thunbergii

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

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Not native

Not native to Florida. 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
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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
August to October

Recorded in 6 Florida counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

27CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Lespedeza

  • Acronicta lanceolariaNarrow-Winged Dagger, Lanceolate Dagger
  • 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
Show all 27
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • 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
  • Anarsioses aberrans
  • 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

Florida rankSNA
Global rankGNR
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources