Consider-the-Lilies Web Gallery
Japanese Clover
This is not a wildflower I found growing in the "field or forest, " but I still count it as one of the lilies of the field.
This colony of little beauties is growing through hard-packed clay at the edge of my unpaved driveway—and therein lies a tale, and this time not of "unintended consequences" that occurred when an alien plant was brought to North America.
No, in this instance, unlike some other immigrant flora, of which Autumn Olive and Rosa multiflora are two regrettable examples, it is a beneficial import.
Not only will Japanese Clover grow where most plants won't, its roots improve the soil through nitrogen fixation. And it is a bountiful producer of legumes, a superior forage for livestock because of the high protein content.
These attributes have led to this ground cover, also known as Common Lespedeza to be widely adopted, along with other members of its family, for pasturage, as well as for erosion control and soil improvement in drier sections of the United States.
But these attributes not being apparent at a glance, this is what attracted me to this lily.
In its original habitat in Japan and Korea, the members of this plant family are grown and admired for their beauty in a traditional garden.
It is easy to see why, isn't it?
Go to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.