Commodities Affected:
Forestry and Natural Areas

 

Threat:

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. Note – do not buy, sell, or plant Sericea lespedeza.

 

Distribution:

Sericea lespedeza has been reported in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) database in the following 9 Indiana counties: Crawford, Fountain, Jackson, Montgomery, Parke, Spencer, Sullivan, Switzerland, and Vigo.