Stems seldom as much as 1 m, usually virgately branched above; lvs generally spreading; lfls elliptic, 6-20 mm wide, 1.5-3 times as long, strigose beneath, usually glabrous above, otherwise much like no. 6 [Lespedeza virginica (L.) Britton]; 2n=20. Dry upland woods; Vt. to Mich. and Okla., s. to Fla. and Tex. Aug., Sept. (L. frutescens, misapplied)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
