lespedeza

[ les-pi-dee-zuh ]

/ ˌlɛs pɪˈdi zə /

noun

any shrub or herb belonging to the genus Lespedeza, of the legume family, having trifoliolate leaves and lavender flowers, grown for forage, soil improvement, etc.

Nearby words

lese-majesty, lesghian, lesion, leslie, lesotho, lespedeza, lesquerella, less, less than, lessee, lessen

Origin of lespedeza

< New Latin (1803), after V. M. de Zespedez (misread as Lespedez), 18th-century Spanish governor of East Florida

Examples from the Web for lespedeza

The lespedeza hay will sell for about $12 per ton and the lespedeza seed for about $3 per bushel.
How to Prosper in Boll Weevil Territory|G. H. Alford
Enough Bermuda has grown in the furrows to insure a stand of Bermuda, and this is supplemented by the Lespedeza.
Florida: An Ideal Cattle State|Florida State Live Stock Association
Miyagi is the name of a field which is famous for the Hagi or Lespedeza, a small and pretty shrub, which blooms in the Autumn.
Japanese Literature|Various
Lespedeza is rather a tricky plant in Florida and is hardly worth consideration except in the northern part of the State.
Florida: An Ideal Cattle State|Florida State Live Stock Association

During the following winter the stumps are removed, and then in spring the land is plowed and Lespedeza seed sown.
Florida: An Ideal Cattle State|Florida State Live Stock Association