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Description: Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) was first introduced from Japan in 1896 for research use. Its widespread use began in the late 1940s when it was used over large acreage for erosion protection on poor soil, as pasture, and to create wildlife habitat. Sericea lespedeza is a perennial legume that ranges in height from 18 to 60 inches and should be planted at a rate of 30 lb per acre. It has coarse stems clustered with many branches, both of which are densely covered in trifoliate leaves attached by short petioles, giving the plant a shrubby appearance. The leaves are broader towards the tip and narrower by the base. They are less than an inch long, and ¼ inch wide. A distinguishable characteristic that separates sericea from other more desirable legumes is the point at the tip of the leaves. Along the upper leaf axils there are clusters of 1 to 3 yellowish-white flowers with purple or pink markings, that bloom from mid-July to early October. Sericea grows in wide range soil types and pHs. It is drought resistant and tolerant of low fertility soils and is free of most insect infestations due to its high concentration of tannin. Tannin reduces palatability and digestibility by binding to proteins making them unavailable for digestion. Tannin concentration increases as the plant matures, for this reason it should be cut for hay no later than the early bloom stage. It should be grazed when a height of 8-10 inches is reached. If allowed to mature more, cattle will not readily eat it. Sericea’s ability to survive a wide range of conditions and its competitiveness has made it a noxious weed in the mid-western United States. It has been declared so in Kansas and Colorado and can be considered one in Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. This makes it against the law to produce seeds or to develop other reproductive propagules of the plant. Sericea will restrict the growth of other plants around it by creating large areas of shade, using large quantities of water, and producing allelopathic chemicals (toxins) that inhibit seed production and growth of other plants.

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