# violet bush clover

*Lespedeza frutescens*

This plant hosts specialized root bacteria that capture atmospheric nitrogen, naturally fertilizing the poor, dry soils it prefers to grow in.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Lespedeza
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Dry upland forests, open oak woodlands, rocky ridges, and sandy barrens.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis, utilizing root-nodule nitrogen fixation).
- **Range:** Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, Southeastern Canada
- **Size:** 1.5 to 3 feet (45 to 90 cm) tall.
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (5-10 years, regenerating annually from a woody crown).
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, fire suppression leading to canopy closure, and displacement by invasive woody shrubs.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely observe and touch this plant. It is non-toxic to humans, but avoid picking wild specimens to preserve native seed banks. No medical action is needed upon contact.

## About

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## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/9ec06bb8-de60-4178-b7f8-d64939f65370
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/164569
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lespedeza_frutescens
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/50171080/medium.jpg (Tom Pollard, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.