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Lespedeza hirta

(L.) Hornem.

Hairy Bushclover

G5Secure Found in 23 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147658
Element CodePDFAB27070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusLespedeza
Other Common Names
Hairy Lespedeza (EN) hairy lespedeza (EN) Lespédèze hirsute (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-05-27
Change Date1984-06-07
Edition Date2024-05-27
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lespedeza hirta is a wide-ranging perennial forb in open woodlands in eastern North America from Ontario, Canada and Maine in the United States west to Michigan south to Florida west to Texas. Threats include development, rights-of way maintenance, recreational activities, succession, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Lespedeza hirta occurs in eastern North America from southern Ontario in Canada and southern Maine in the United States west to Michigan south to central peninsular Florida west to Texas (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). There are two subspecific taxa, with the typic throughout the range and ssp. curtissii limited to the southeastern portion of the range. Range extent was estimated to be over 3.1 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 1,200 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Lespedeza hirta grows in open woodlands, woodland borders, longleaf pine sandhills, and savannas (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavanna
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
DelawareS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MaineS1Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
KansasSNRYes
VermontS1Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (23)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cheaha ATalladega National Forest236
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Tennessee (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Virginia (8)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Little AlleghanyGeorge Washington National Forest10,215
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The FriarsGeorge Washington National Forest2,035
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 11. Magnoliophyta: Fabaceae, parts 1+2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvii + 1108 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.