Lespedeza is a wiry, tough, dark green plant that closely resembles clover. It grows so close to the ground that it is seldom disturbed by a mower. Lespedeza can easily choke out thin, undernourished turf. Leaves are composed of three leaflets that sometimes have soft hairs along the margins. They are most easily indetified by the many prominent veins that grow nearly perpendicular to the mid-vein. Lespedeza has a small flower that ranges from pink to lavender. This woody perennial is sometime difficult to control, but seldom competes with good, dense turf.