In these oriental countries, native stands of this plant are sometimes grazed or harvested for hay, but it is rarely planted. Interestingly, the plant seems to be even more ideally suited to conditions in the Southern USA than in its area of origin. Annual lespedeza is a warm season annual which germinates in the spring, grows throughout the summer, then makes seed and dies in the autumn.
Annual lespedeza is also a good wildlife plant.
Quail are particularly fond of the seed as evidenced by an extensive study early in the 20th century which revealed that the single most common item extracted from the crops of wild quail statewide within Alabama was annual lespedeza seed. There are two species of annual lespedeza which have been commonly grown in the United States for many years. Korean lespedeza, of which there are several varieties, matures seed in early fall and is best suited for the upper South and lower Midwest. Annual lespedeza is so well adapted to our climate that it can be found in well-drained pastures, lawns, and other areas throughout Alabama, but especially in the northern half of the state. Interestingly, it seems to be a species we have largely ignored as a forage plant as relatively little of it has been planted on Alabama farms in recent years.