Lespedeza violacea.George Lienau.New England Wild Flower Society.gobotany.newenglandwild.org. (Accessed 4/2014).

Lespedeza violacea is a perennial herb, 30-80 cm tall, erect, much branched, branches long, more-or-less hairless, sparsely leafy, stipules linear to 0.6 cm long. 

Leaves alternate, stalks long, blade 3-parted, leaflets elliptic, 1-5 cm long, to 2.2 cm wide, appressed-hairy below. 

Flowers of two kinds: those with purple petals, 0.6-1 cm long, keel longer than wings or banner, pea-flower-shaped, calyx 0.3-0.6 cm long, hairy; inflorescence, of loose, few-flowered racemes longer than leaves, and closed, self pollinating flowers (cleistogamous) without petals, in stalkless, axillary clusters; blooms July- Sept. 

Fruit dry 0.5-0.7 cm long, 1-seeded, flattened; fruits Oct.-Nov. (Radford et al. 1968). 

Wetland status: UPL. 

Frequency in NYC: Rare, may be extinct in NYC (NYS S3, R). 

Origin: Native. 

Habitat: Dry woods, edges. 

Notes: Seeds eaten by quail, plants eaten by deer.