02/25/2026
Sericea Lespedeza--an invasive that spreads like wild 🔥.
National Invasive Species Awareness Week
Each day this week, we’re putting a different invasive species on the “WANTED” list.
Name: Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)
Crime: Outcompeting native plants and taking over grasslands
This aggressive invasive plant forms dense stands that crowd out native wildflowers and grasses that wildlife depends on. It reduces quality forage for livestock and deer, limits quail habitat, and spreads rapidly by seed.
ID Tips:
• 3–6 ft tall
• Leaves in groups of three, the leaflets ¼ to 1 inch long
• Cream-colored flowers with purple centers (late summer)
• Tough, woody stems
How to stop it:
Prescribed fire, targeted herbicide, mechanical management, or integrated management combining more than one control type.
