Korean lespedeza
(Kummerowia stipulacea )
This species is Introduced in the United States
Appearance
Kummerowia stipulacea is an annual freely branching herbaceous plant with upward pointing hairs. The plant can be procumbent to erect and can reach up to 24 in. (61 cm) in height. It has shallow taproots.
Foliage
Leaves are alternate, trifoliate, petiolate and up to 0.75 in. (4 cm) long.
Flowers
Flowers are pink, purple and white, 0.2-0.3 in. (5-8 mm) long and occur either singly or in groups of up to 5 in a spike-like raceme.
Fruit
Fruits are 0.2 in. (4 mm) long legumes and each contain a single seed.
Ecological Threat
K. stipulacea occurs in old fields, roadsides, grasslands, mountain slopes, stable or semistable sand dunes. It is native to Korea and was introduced into the United States and has become established in natural areas.
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 4
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
Taxonomic Rank
Domain: Eukarya |
Kingdom: Plantae |
Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
Class: Magnoliopsida |
Superorder: Rosanae |
Order: Fabales |
Family: Fabaceae |
Subfamily: Faboideae |
Tribe: Desmodieae |
Genus: Kummerowia |
Kummerowia stipulacea |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
Korean clover, korean lespedeza
Related Scientific Names:
Lespedeza stipulacea (Maxim.) Makino (Synonym)
References
Common Name Reference: Weed Science Society of America Common Names List
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.