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Shrubby Lespedeza
Lespedeza bicolor
Identification
Perennial forb or
shrub that grows up to ten feet in height. Leaves are pinnately
compound, alternately arranged, and in groups of three leaflets. The
leaflets have entire margins and are rounded to oblong in shape and
one to one and a half inches in length. The flowers appear in
summer and are purple, appearing at the tips of the branches in
clusters. The fruits are single-seeded pods containing one hard,
shiny, flattened seed.
Origin
Asia
Habitat
Almost any open
areas such as roadsides, fields, riparian areas, or rights-of-way,
especially in disturbed areas. Capable of fixing its own nitrogen,
shrubby lespedeza can occupy very poor soils.
It is not highly shade
tolerant, but can flourish in partial shade. It is both drought
tolerant and capable of surviving short periods of inundation.
Reproduces both by seed spread by wildlife and by sprouting of root
crowns and root suckering.
Ecological Threat
Shrubby lespedeza
can very quickly invade open areas and produce an extremely thick
monotype of shrubby growth, pushing out all native plants. Shrubby
lespedeza produces alleopathic chemicals that actually inhibit the
growth of other plants, adding to the monotypic plant community in
an infestation. It produces an extremely large crop of seed annually
that can remain viable for a long period of time; giving rise to the
danger of re-infestation for up to 20 years after this plant has
been removed.
Recommended Native Alternatives
-
Patridge pea
(Chamaechrista fasciculate)
-
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus
floridus)
-
Hearts-a-bustin
(Euonymus americanus)
These pages are designed to give the
layperson a general overview of non-native invasive plants commonly
found in the upper Hiwassee River watershed. For more comprehensive
and technical information about a particular species, visit one of
the web sites from our
Links
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