Lespedeza procumbens Michx.
Downy trailing bush-clover, trailing lespedeza
Downy trailing bush clover is native to the eastern United States.
Plants: Plants creep along the ground, reaching up to 4′ (1.2 m) in length. Branches have dense hairs that spread outward. (The similar species Lespedeza repens is hairless or has fine hairs that lay against the stem (appressed).)
Leaves: Leaflets are oval, on stalks (petioles) that are shorter than the leaflets. They are broader toward the leaf tip, and ½–1″ (1.3–2.5 cm) long.
Flowers: Pink, in racemes containing 8-12 flowers. with bilateral symmetry. They appear from August to October.
Fruits: Open flowers produce fruits ~3/16″ (5–6 mm) long (including the stalk). Cleistogamous flowers—those that never open—produce fruits ⅛–3/16″ (3.5–5.5 mm) long. Seeds are 1/16–⅛″ (2–3 mm) long, and olive green to light brown.
Habitats: Dry forests, woodlands, clearings, and roadsides.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 98
8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 8″ (16 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 8 × 6″ (21 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fabales | Legumes (pea and bean families) |
| Family | Fabaceae | Legume family (peas and beans) |
| Genus | Lespedeza | For Cespedez, Spanish governor of east Flordia in late 18th century |
| Species | procumbens | With trailing, prostrate stems |
Lespedeza procumbens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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