Lespedeza bicolor var. bicolor(shrubby bushclover, "Yamahagi")
Japanese name: ヤマハギ（山萩） Scientific name:Lespedeza bicolor var. bicolor
[Overview]
A deciduous subshrub reaching 2 m in height, commonly found in sunny mountain areas.
Leaves are alternate and trifoliate, and the leaflets are elliptic, 1.5–4 cm long.
The upper surface of the leaf has short hairs when young, and later becomes hairless or retains some hairs; the underside has short hairs.
The leaf margin is entire.
The stipules are small and lanceolate.
The flowers are pea-shaped and are borne spirally in pairs on compound racemes arising from the leaf axils.
The inflorescence extends longer than the leaves.
The flower color is reddish purple.
The legume does not split open even when ripe.
[Cultivation]
It likes sun and is easy to grow, thriving even in poor or dry soil as long as the soil is not too wet.
It is hardy against cold, but most of the above-ground part dies back in winter, so cut it back to ground level and let new branches grow the following year.
Transplanting is easy as long as it is done while the plant is leafless.
