银叶杭子梢 yin ye hang zi shao

Lespedeza argentea (Schindler) H. Léveillé.

Shrubs or shrublets, 0.5-1 m tall. Branches densely ap­pressed sericeous. Petiole 1.5-4 cm, densely appressed hairy; stipels rarely present, linear, ca. 2 mm; leaflets elliptic to ob­long, terminal one 1.2-3 × 0.7-2 cm, abaxially whitish or sil­very with dense appressed silky hairs, adaxially puberulent, base rounded, apex retuse and mucronulate. Racemes 5-15 cm, often paniculate; rachis and pedicels with dense ascending short hairs. Pedicels 1.5-4 mm. Calyx deeply 4-lobed, with appressed short hairs; tube ca. 1.5 mm; lobes triangular to narrowly tri­angular, ca. 2 mm. Corolla purple; standard obovate, 9-10 mm, apex obtuse; wings ca. 10 mm, clawed at base; keel inflexed at an obtuse angle, ca. 11.5 mm, clawed at base. Ovary ca. 2.5 mm, appressed puberulent near suture and apex; style incurved, ca. 7 mm. Legume obliquely oblong, 7-9 × 3.5-5 mm, with subappressed short hairs, apex rounded. Seeds dark reddish brown, reniform, 2-2.2 × 3.5-4 mm.

● Sunny places, mountain slopes; 1300-1500 m. Yunnan.