Pilosa Lespedeza (Lespedeza pilosa)

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Lespedeza pilosa is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is 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.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young leaves - cooked. — Young leaves - cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Thickets, waste slopes and grasslands below 1000 metres in Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang and Zhejiang Provinces. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)