Sericea lespedeza

Lespedeza cuneata

Keys to Identification

Deciduous shrub
Small pea-like flowers
Trifoliate (divided into three) leaves
Sericea lespedeza has been used as livestock forage and wildlife cover

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

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/mf2408.pdf

USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

CWMA