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Kummerowia striata

Common name:	Common Lespedeza	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(Thunb.)Schindl.	Botanical references:	58, 74, 266
Synonyms:	Lespedeza striata ((Thunb.)Hook.& Arn.), Hedysarum striatum
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat:	Waste ground and roadsides all over Japan[58]. Clayey, sandy and gravelly soils, riverbanks, roadsides and non-populated areas, always in large quantities[74].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	K. striata var. kobe[G] Lespedeza striata var. kobe[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Common Lespedeza [FEIS], Japanese Clover [P], Japanese-clover [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	striata = striped
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.2m. . It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects and Cleistogomy (self-pollinating without flowers ever opening). It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves Seed.

Seed - cooked. The seed can be ground into a meal and used with cereal flours in making bread etc[105, 177]. The seed contains 26.4 - 51.9% protein and 4.3 - 7.3% fat[218].
Young plant - cooked[105, 177]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].

Composition

Seed (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Protein: 39 Fat: 6
Source: [218]
Notes : The figures given here are median figures of a range quoted in the report.
Leaves (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Protein: 14.5 Fat: 2.4 Carbohydrate: 75 Fibre: 34 Ash: 8.5
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 1090 Phosphorus: 235 Iron: 32 Potassium: 1100 VitaminA: 5 Thiamine: 1
Source: [218]
Notes : The figures given here are median figures of a range quoted in the report.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent Diuretic Febrifuge Miscellany.

The whole plant is used medicinally as a diuretic, for reducing fever, and treating diarrhea[266]. A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of extreme physical debility and swellings[218]. It is boiled with Centella asiatica and Prunella vulgaris for the treatment of dysentery, headache and vertigo[218]. A broth is used to improve the appetite[218].

Other Uses

Soil reclamation.

The plant is fast growing and has an extensive root system. It has been widely used, especially in N. America, for restoring fertility to worn-out soils[171].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species but it should succeed as a spring-sown annual in Britain. See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs.
Plants sometimes produce cleistogamous flowers.
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[200]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in situ in mid spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Lespedeza striata (a possible synonym).

[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Kummerowia+striata
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