Shrubby Nonnative Lespedezas
Miller, James H.; Manning, Steven T.; Enloe, Stephen F. 2010. A management guide for invasive plants in southern forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–131. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 120 p.
Shrubby lespedeza (Lespedeza bicolor Turcz.) and Thunberg’s lespedeza [Lespedeza thunbergii (DC.) Nakai] are perennial much-branched shrubs 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m) in height with stems clustered at the base with Thunberg’s and single stems with bicolor, both from woody root crowns. They form dense stands to prevent forest regeneration and land access, and remain standing dormant most of the winter, posing a fire hazard. Many three-leaflet leaves crowd along stems with clusters of small purple-pink pealike flowers that yield single-seeded pods in late summer and remaining in early winter. Seeds are long lived in the soil seed bank and require long-term monitoring after control treatments. When mistakenly planted for wildlife food plots and surface-mine reclamation, they invade adjoining forest edges and open forests.
Management strategies
- Treat, cut, or mulch when new plants are young to prevent seed formation.
- Manual pulling and weed wrenching is limited to new seedlings when soil is moist to ensure removal of all roots.
- Minimize disturbance within miles of where these plants occur, and anticipate wider occupation if plants are present before disturbance.
- Burning treatments have limited application in most situations and can worsen infestations.
- While grazing by cattle, sheep, and goats can reduce growth, forage quality varies, and grazing also can spread seeds.
Recommended control procedures
- Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (July to September): Milestone VM* as a 0.1-percent solution (0.5 ounce per 3-gallon mix) applied as 50 gallons per acre, Garlon 4 as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix), Escort XP* at 1 ounce per acre (0.2 dry ounce per 3-gallon mix), a glyphosate herbicide as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix), or Velpar L* as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix).
- Mowing or mulching 1 to 3 months before herbicide applications can assist control.
* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.
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