Lespedeza maximowiczii

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Lespedeza maximowiczii
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Mesic
Hardiness:5
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:11'
Blooms:Late Summer
Native to:
Nitrogen Fixer
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Lespedeza maximowiczii

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[1].

Cultivation: Easily grown in a light loam in full sun[2].

The top growth is not very cold tolerant, although the rootstock is considerably hardier. 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[3].

Closely related to L. buergeri[4].

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[5].

Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Habitat: Rocky places along rivers[4]. Mountain slopes and forests below 1000 metres in Anhui, Henan and Zhejiang Provinces, China[6].

Usage: The twigs are used in making brooms[7].

Pollinators: Insects

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Also Known As: L. praecox. Nakai.

Links

References

  1. Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
  2. Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  3. Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
  5. Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  6. Flora of China. 1994.
  7. Wilson, E and M Trollope. Korean Flora. Royal Asiatic Society, 1918.