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History and
Description
The Chinese lespedeza
was introduced into the United States from Japan in 1899. It was first seen near
Arlington, Virginia and was soon spotted in north-central Tennessee.
The Chinese
lespedeza is a perennial herbaceous plant. It can grow 3 to 6
feet in height, with one to many leafy slender stems often separating at the
mid-plant, three-individual leaves, and tiny whitish flowers. There is a plant
rising up from the root-crown. It is a dormant brown plant remaining upright
during most of the winter.
The Chinese lespedeza’s stem is often gray green with
lines of hair along the stem. The leaves of the Chinese lespedeza are numerous and have three individual leaves. Each individual oblong
is long and narrow with a hair-like tip, 0.4 to 0.8 inches long and 0.1 to 0.3
inches wide. They are green above the leaf and a thick whitish, gray green
beneath it. The hairy stalks are 0.2 to 0.6 inches long.
The flowers are white with purple marks
and can grow 0.1 to 0.3 inches long. They are flat egg shaped to round single
seeded, splitting fruit pods 0.12 to 0.15 inches wide. The pods are clustered
and scattered along the stem. The colors
range from green to tan.
Uses
The Chinese lespedeza is still used for quail food plots and soil stabilization.
Reproduction
Flowers can been seen from July to September. The fruit and seed grow from
October to March. Animals that eat the seeds of the Chinese lespedeza spread the
seeds through feces.
Ecological Threat
The Chinese lespedeza occurs in new and older forest
openings, dry upland woodlands to the moist savannas, old fields, right of ways,
and cities. This plant is flood tolerant. It forms dense stands by sprouting
stems that prevent forest renewal and land access. It spreads
slowly from plantings by seeds with low germination, but remain viable for
decades.
Control
Herbicides can be used on the Chinese lespedeza. Another way to
help control Chinese lespedeza is mowing 1 to 3 months before application.
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