NATIVE
RANGE
Eastern Asia
DESCRIPTION
Chinese lespedeza is a warm season, perennial herbaceous plant. It has an erect growth form, ranging from about 3 to 5½ feet in height, and leaves that alternate along the stem. Each leaf is divided into three smaller leaflets, about ½ to 1 inch long, which are narrowly oblong and pointed, with awl-shaped spines. Leaflets are covered with densely flattened hairs, giving a grayish-green or silvery appearance. Mature stems are somewhat woody and fibrous with sharp, stiff, flattened bristles. Small (about ¼ in.) creamy white to pale yellow flowers emerge either singly or in clusters of 2-4, from the axils of the upper and median leaves.
ECOLOGICAL THREAT
Chinese lespedeza,
sometimes called sericea lespedeza, is primarily a threat to open areas such
as meadows, prairies, open woodlands, wetland borders and fields. Once
it gains a foothold, it can crowd out native plants and develop an extensive
seed bank in the soil, ensuring its long residence at a site. Established
dense stands of lespedeza suppress native flora and its high tannin content
makes it unpalatable to native wildlife as well as livestock.
DISTRIBUTION
IN THE UNITED STATES
Chinese lespedeza is now found throughout the
U.S.
HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES
Chinese
lespedeza can grow in a variety of habitats including severely eroded sterile
soils. It will invade open woodlands, fields, prairies, borders of
ponds and swamps, meadows, and open disturbed ground, but is intolerant of
shade.
BACKGROUND
Chinese lespedeza is native
to eastern Asia and was first introduced to the southern United States. Widespread
use of lespedeza by federal and state agencies for bank stabilization, soil
improvement, wildlife and forage and cover, and hay facilitated its spread
throughout the eastern United States.
BIOLOGY & SPREAD
Chinese lespedeza
begins growth from root crown buds at the base of last year’s stem. The
flowers begin to develop in late July and continue through October. Within
the Lespedeza genus there are no specialized structures for seed dispersal. Dispersal
is aided by animals consuming the fruits and passing the seeds. A study
on natural populations found that several species of Lespedeza comprise 1.5%
to 86.8% of the annual diet of bobwhite quail in the southeastern U.S. Autumn
dispersal is aided by the haying of infested fields.
Scarification is necessary for the germination
of lespedeza seeds. Mature seeds of this genus remain viable for up
to twenty years; one study found a germination rate of 60% after cold storage
for 55 years. Seedlings may represent only 1% of the seeds actually
available in the soil.
MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Mechanical and chemical
methods are the most effective options currently available for Chinese lespedeza. Hand
pulling is impractical due to lespedza’s extensive perennial root system. Mowing
plants in the flower bud stage for two or three consecutive years may reduce
the vigor of lespedeza stands and control further spread. Plants should
be cut as low to the ground as possible and impact to adjacent native plants
should be minimized as much as possible.
Since root reserves increase up to the flower
bud stage, all herbicide treatments should be completed in early to mid summer. The
addition of a non-ionic surfactant at a concentration of 0.5% improves
the effectiveness of foliar treatments. Triclopyr and clopyralid have
been shown to be effective in controlling Chinese lespedeza. A 2% solution
Triclopyr or 0.5% solution of clopyralid throughly mixed with water is effective
during the vegetative stage prior to branching or during flowering. Treatments
should cover the leaves and stems of plants to the point of runoff. These
herbicides are not labeled for use in wet areas or adjacent to streams. On
wet sites a 2% solution of glyphosate is effective from last June until seed
set.
USE PESTICIDES WISELY: ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PESTICIDE LABEL CAREFULLY, FOLLOW ALL MIXING AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND WEAR ALL RECOMMENDED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AND CLOTHING. CONTACT YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL PESTICIDE USE REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS.
NOTICE: MENTION OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS ON THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY MATERIAL.
CONTACTS
For more information on
the management of Chinese lespedeza, please contact:
- Kris Johnson, Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, Gatlinburg, TN
SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS
Although not
a popular ornamental in the U.S., some suitable native alternatives for Chinese
lespedeza include butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa),
joe-pye weed (Eupatorium dubium), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia
fulgida), big blue stem (Andropogon gerardii), or Indian grass
(Sorghastrum nutans). Contact your state native plant society for
further suggestions for plants native to your particular locale.
OTHER LINKS
AUTHORS
Tom Remaley, Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, Gatlinburg, TN
EDITOR
Jil M. Swearingen, U.S. National Park
Service, Washington, DC
PHOTOGRAPHS
Tom Remaley, Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, Gatlinburg, TN
REFERENCES
Altom, J.V., J.F. Stritzke, D.L. Weeks. 1992.
Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata). Control with Selected Postemergence
Herbicides. Weed Technology Journal of the Weed Science Society of
America 6(3):573-576.
Guernsey, W.J. 1977. Sericea lespedeza
(Lespedeza cuneata): Its Use and Management. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Farmers Bulletin No. 2245, 29 pp.
Hoveland, C.S., W.B. Anthony, E.L. Carden, J.K.
Boseck, W.B. Webster. 1975. Sericea-grass Mixtures. Auburn University
Alabama Agriculture Experiment Station Circular 221, 12 pp.
Hoveland, C.S., G.A. Buchanan, E.D. Donnelly. 1971. Establishiment
of Sericea lespedeza; Weed Science 19: 21-24.
Hoveland, C.S., G.A. Buchanan, E.D. Donnelly. 1970. Establishing
Sericea lespedeza at Low Seeding Rate with a Herbicide; Auburn University
Agriculture Experiment Station Circular 174, 11 pp.
Hoveland, C.S. and E.D. Donnelly. 1985. The
Lespedezas. In M.E. Heath, R.F. Barnes, and D.S. Metcalfe, eds. Forages:
the Science of Grassland Agriculture. Iowa State Press, Ames, Iowa.
Pieters, A.J. 1950. Sericea and Other Perennial
Lespedezas for Forage and Soil Conservation; U.S. Department Agriculture
Circular 863, 48 p.
Rietveld, W.J. 1983. Allelopathic Effects of
Juglone on Germination and Growth of Several Herbaceous and woody Species Juglans
nigra, Lonicera maackii, Lespedeza cuneata, Trifolium
incarnatum, Alnus glutinosa, Elaeagnus umbellata; Journal
of Chemical Ecology 9(2): 295-308.
Smith, A.E. and G.V. Calvert. 1987. Weed
Control in Sericea Lespedeza. University of Georgia Experiment Station
Research Bulleitn 357, 12 p.
Wolf, D.D. and Dove, D.C. 1987. Grazaing
Preference for Low Tannin Sericea Lespedeza; Proceedings of the Forage Grassland
Conference, Lexington, Kentucky, p. 216-219.
Yonce, M.H. and W.A. Skroch. 1989. Control
of Selected Perennial Weeds with Glyphosate. Weed Science 37(3):360-364.
Plant Conservation
Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group.
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