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Sericea lespedeza Lespedeza cuneata |
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Keys to Identification:
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Family: Fabacea (Pea Family) Other Names: Chinese bush clover USDA Code: LECU Legal Status: Colorado Noxious Weed List A New in Colorado – Notify your county weed supervisor if you find this plant! IDENTIFICATION Lifecycle: Perennial Growth form: Deciduous shrub Flower: Yellowish-white with purple to pink markings. Mid-July through October Seeds/Fruit: 1/16-1/8 inch long. Tan to green in color Leaves: Trifoliate with short petioles. Wedge shaped. 1/4 - 1 inch long. 1/16 - 1/4 inch wide. Round to flat on top with a noticeable pointed tip. Lower leaf surface has silky hairs Stems: 1 to 5 feet tall. Single or clustered with numerous branches. Densely leaved Roots: Woody branched taproot. 3-4 feet deep Seedling: Weak SIMILAR SPECIES Exotics: Korean lespedeza, Common lespedeza Natives: Round head lespedeza, Violet lespedeza, Slender lespedeza IMPACTS Agricultural: Has been used as a drought resistant erosion control, livestock forage, and wildlife cover. Ecological: Outcompetes desirable vegetation. Shades out other plants. Produces allelopathic chemicals that that inhibit seed germination and plant growth. HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION General requirements: Can tolerate drought. Grows in acid to slightly alkaline soils. Prefers well drained, fertile clay and loamy soils but will grow in poor conditions as well. Distribution: Found in ditches, roadsides, pastures BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY Mode of reproduction: Seed Seed production: 1000 per stem Seed bank: Possibly up to 20 years. Dispersal: Hay, animals, man INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Chemical application must be made to actively growing plants. Various chemicals have been used as a part of an integrated approach using early grazing and haying. Fire to remove old growth and to encourage seed germination needs to be followed by an herbicide application. Removal of small plants is effective. REFERENCES
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