Wildflower (forb) · Fabaceae

Roundhead lespedeza

Lespedeza capitata

Roundhead lespedeza is recorded as native to 25 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 725 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Roundhead lespedeza at a glance

Native in: 725 counties, across 25 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4b PLANTS minimum temperature −28°F
Mature height: 2.6 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Full sun (shade-intolerant) Low water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 4b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −28°F; zone 4b winters bottom out at −25°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 725 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 4 counties
Arkansas 16 counties
Florida 12 counties
Georgia 2 counties
Illinois 86 counties
Indiana 33 counties
Iowa 23 counties
Kansas 70 counties
Kentucky 20 counties
Louisiana 19 counties
Massachusetts 14 counties
Michigan 29 counties
Minnesota 47 counties
Mississippi 15 counties
Nebraska 34 counties
New York 34 counties
North Carolina 49 counties
Oklahoma 29 counties
Pennsylvania 38 counties
South Carolina 22 counties
Tennessee 22 counties
Vermont 4 counties
Virginia 40 counties
West Virginia 9 counties
Wisconsin 54 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 2.6 ft
Growth rate: Slow
Growth form: Multiple Stem
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use: Low water use
Drought tolerance: High
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 19 to 45 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse and medium
pH range: 5.7 to 8.2
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Minimum root depth: 18 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −28°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 140
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: White
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Summer
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Yellow

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: Medium
Nursery availability: No Known Source
Family: Fabaceae
PLANTS symbol: LECA8

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Lespedeza capitata (PLANTS symbol LECA8).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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