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FACT SHEET: CHINESE LESPEDEZA

Chinese Lespedeza 

Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont) G. Don 

Pea family (Fabaceae) 

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 51⁄2 feet in height, and leaves that 

alternate along the stem. Each leaf is divided into three smaller leaflets, about 

1⁄2 to 1 inch long, which are narrowly oblong and pointed, with awl-shaped 

spines. Leaflets are covered with densely flattened hairs, giving a grayishgreen or silvery appearance. Mature stems are somewhat woody and fibrous 

with sharp, stiff, flattened bristles. Small (about 1⁄4 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 occurs throughout much of the eastern U.S. from 

Minnesota to Texas east to New York and Florida. 

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 
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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 page 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 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Lespedeza%20cuneata

AUTHORS 

Tom Remaley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN 

EDITOR 

Jil M. Swearingen, 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. 
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Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

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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. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Chinese Lespedeza 

(Lespedeza cuneata). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3033. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA. 

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.