''Lespedeza cuneata'' is a species of flowering plant in the
known by the common names Chinese bushclover and sericea lespedeza, or just sericea.
[Gucker, Corey. (2010) (Revised from Munger, Gregory T., 2004)]
''Lespedeza cuneata''
In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 11-26-2011. It is native to Asia and eastern Australia
and it is present elsewhere as an
introduced species and sometimes an
invasive plant.
[
This plant is a perennial herb with branching stems reaching a maximum height around two meters. It grows from a woody taproot which may exceed one meter in length and which is topped with a woody ]caudex
A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695
In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...
. The stems are covered densely in leaves, which are each divided into leaflets up to long. Flowers occur singly or in clusters of up to three in the leaf axils. Some of the flowers are cleistogamous, remaining closed and self-pollinating.[ The open flowers are purple, cream, white, or yellowish in color.][''Lespedeza cuneata''.]
Global Invasive Species Database. Retrieved 11-26-2011. The fruit is a legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
pod containing one seed.[
This plant has been introduced to the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.][ It was first planted in the US in North Carolina in 1896. It was used to control erosion and to revegetate abandoned ]mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
sites and was used as forage for livestock. It was useful in areas susceptible to drought because its deep roots can keep it alive. A number of cultivars have been developed, including 'Arlington', 'Serala', 'AU Lotan', 'AU Donnelly', 'AU Grazer', and 'Interstate'.[
The plant is considered invasive in many areas such as the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas. When it invades a habitat it reduces the abundance and diversity of native plants and can make the area less attractive to wildlife. It may inhibit the growth of tree seedlings. It may be ]allelopathic
Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the germination, growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have ben ...
, producing substances that chemically inhibit the growth of other plants.[ The species also features on the European list of invasive alien species. It is now illegal to sell, transport and breed this plant in the whole of the European Union.
Possible ]biological pest control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...
agents include the Lespedeza webworm (''Tetralopha scortealis''). It will probably not be approved for use, however, because it does not discriminate between native and invasive Lespedezas. Grazing may also be a way to control the plant, especially by goats.[
]
Noxious weed laws
United States
At least the following states have restrictions on this plant: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and New York.
Gallery
File:Lespedeza Sericea 1.jpg, A lespedeza sericea plant growing in Kansas. This plant was 2 1/2 feet tall. Taken in September 2013.
File:Lespedeza Sericea 2.jpg, A lespedeza sericea plants growing in Kansas (with two more in the background). Taken in September 2013.
File:Lespedeza sericea up close.jpg, Lespedeza sericea plant up close. Shows the leaf pattern. Taken in September before the blooms started.
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5364126
cuneata
Plants described in 1832
Flora of Asia