Phenotypic variation in thirteen native provenances of Lespedeza bicolor Turcz

Lespedeza bicolor Turcz is a native shrub in the temperate region of China. Thirteen provenances of L. bicolor were investigated in our study. Morphological diversity among and within provenances were analyzed based on 19 phenotypic traits, including seven vegetative growth characteristics, nine floral traits and three pod characteristics. The coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 6.4% to 65.4% and the phenotypic differentiation coefficient from 43.3% to 97.3%. Analyses of variance showed that there were extremely significant variations among and within provenances in pod length. Differences in plant height, inter-nodal length, number of branches, leaf width, leaf length and leaf area were not remarkable among provenance, but distinct within provenances. Other traits showed evidence of contrasts. Variation among provenances was the main part of phenotypic variation. Correlation analysis indicated that there were highly significant positive correlations between plant height and other vegetative growth characteristics. Floral traits were not associated with vegetative growth characteristics. The 13 provenances of L. bicolor investigated can be classified into three groups according to a UPGMA cluster analysis.