Appearance
Securigera varia is a low-growing, herbaceous vine that usually forms thickets up to 3 ft. (0.9 m) in height.

Foliage
The leaves are dark green pinnately compound with 9 to 25 pairs of leaflets and a terminal leaflet. Leaflets are 0.75 in. (1.9 cm) long.

Flowers
Flowering occurs in the summer. The pea-like, fragrant flowers are white to pink to purple and resemble a large clover flower because they are found in long-stalked clusters.

Fruit
Seed pods are segmented, pointed, borne in crown-like clusters. The straw-colored seeds are less than 0.3 in. (0.9 cm) long, round, flat, and winged.

Ecological Threat
Securigera varia reproduces and spreads rapidly by rhizomes as well as seeds. It forms dense thickets in open, disturbed areas such as fields and roadsides. Once established it is difficult to remove. Securigera varia is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was first introduced into North America around the 1950s and has been widely planted for erosion control.

Citations
Winston, R.L., Andreas, J.E., Milan, J., DesCamp, W., Randell, C.B., and M. Schwarzländer. 2014. New Invaders of the Northwest. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. FHTET-2014-12. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-12_NW_New_Invaders.pdf
 

Resources

• Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 3
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
• Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.  2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
• Minnesota Noxious Weeds
• Missouri SRISP Species List
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• New Hampshire Invasive Plant Species Watch List
• New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture,  Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
• New Invaders of the Northwest
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
• Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40

References