- Description:
Stout, upright stems are branched above. Leaves are ½ -1½ inches long, with three
leaflets. Small pink flowers are clustered at the top of the branches.
- Comments:
Slender Bush-clover has many ecological benefits in Flint Hills grasslands. It
contributes protein to livestock forage, adds nitrogen to the soil and provides high
quality food for wildlife. It can be confused with an undesirable alien species Sericea
Lespedeza (page 64). The characteristics that distinguish Slender Bush-clover are: 1)
plants are not so tall and thick they crowd out all other vegetation; 2) each leaflet is
linear-oblong, widest in the middle, with branching veins; 3) flowers are pink to purple;
4) seed pods are larger, almost ¼ inch long.
|
