Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 17 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Chinese bush-clover, Chinese lespedeza, perennial lespedeza, sericea lespedeza, silky bush-clover

French: lespédéza soyeux

Spanish: lespedeza perenne

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Subshrubs 6-9 dm tall; stems many-branched, densely pubescent.  Leaves closely spaced, leaflets grayish green, obovate or narrowly obovate, 5-20 mm long, 1-15 mm wide, upper surface glabrous, lower surface densely pubescent, apex emarginate, sometimes abruptly truncate.  Flowers subsessile, up to 7 mm long, (1) 2-4 per cluster; calyx 3.5-5 mm long, densely pubescent, persistent in fruit; corolla pale yellow tinged red, in some flowers absent along with stamens, standard with violet red blotches at base, 5-6.5 mm long.  Pods not stipitate, 2.5-4 mm long and slightly narrower, apiculate, with reticulate ridges.  Seed 1, pale brown, reniform, ca. 1.5 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 679).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "apparently sparingly naturalized" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 679).  In Fiji, "sparingly cultivated near sea level.  Probably Fiji does not offer a suitable climate for this temperate species, which in New Guinea occurs only in highland areas"  (Smith, 1985; p. 201).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Widespread from India, China, and Japan throughout Malesia to northern Australia" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 679).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 201) Vouchers cited: DA 4050, DA 4051
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) Voucher cited: Hosaka 2528 (BISH) Apparently sparingly naturalized.
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 201)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 679)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 679)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Additional information:  Fact sheet from the Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group.
Additional photos
Information from "Invasive plants of Asian origin established in the United States and their natural enemies, volume 1" (PDF format).

Additional online information about Lespedeza cuneata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Lespedeza cuneata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Zheng, Hao/Wu, Yun/Ding, Jianqing/Binion, Denise/Fu, Weidong/Reardon, Richard. 2004. Invasive plants of Asian origin established in the United States and their natural enemies, volume 1. FHTET-2004-05. U.S. Forest Service, Morgantown.