Difference between revisions of "Lespedeza repens"

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===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.-->
 
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''L. repens'' composes 2-5% of the diet of some large mammals and 10-25% of some terrestrial birds.<ref name="Miller & Miller 1999">Miller JH, Miller KV (1999) Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. Southern Weed Science Society.</ref>
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''L. repens'' composes 2-5% of the diet of some large mammals and 10-25% of some terrestrial birds.<ref name="Miller & Miller 1999">Miller JH, Miller KV (1999) Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. Southern Weed Science Society.</ref> During a study in central Texas, ''L. repens'' was the most preferred forage in 1996 and third preferred in 1997 by white-tailed deer. The study also showed ''L. repens'' is 16.9% crude protien and 78.4% condensed tannin.<ref name="Littlefield KA, Mueller JP, Muir JP, Lambert BD (2011) Correlation of plant condensed tannin and nitrogen concentrations to white-tailed deer browse preference in the cross timbers. The Texas Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resource 24:1-7."></ref>
 
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Revision as of 13:39, 12 February 2018

Lespedeza repens
Lespedeza repens SEF.jpg
Photo by the Southeastern Flora Database
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicots
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Lespedeza
Species: L. repens
Binomial name
Lespedeza repens
L
LESP REPE DIST.JPG
Natural range of Lespedeza repens from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common names: smooth trailing lespedeza;[1] creeping lespedeza[2]

Taxonomic Notes

Synonym: Hedysarum repens[2]

Description

Lespedeza repens is a dioecious perennial forb/herb.[2] Its stems and peduncles are sparsely short-appressed-pubescent. Stems can grow to 1 m in length. Racemes typically contain 4-8 flowers that are 5-7 mm long. Leaves gradually get smaller towards the stem tips. Terminal leaflets are membranous, elliptic to obovate, glabrous, and can reach 2.5 cm in length.[3]

Distribution

This species occurs from Connecticut and New York, westward to northern Ohio, southern Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kansas, and southward to northern peninsular Florida, panhandle Florida, and central Texas.[1]

Ecology

Habitat

L. repens is occurs in woodlands and woodland borders.[1] In a North Carolina woodland, L. repens was found with 0.8 stems m-2, a frequency of 0.188, and percent cover of 0.10.[4]

Phenology

In the southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States flowering occurs from July through September and fruiting occurs from August through November.[1]

Use by animals

L. repens composes 2-5% of the diet of some large mammals and 10-25% of some terrestrial birds.[5] During a study in central Texas, L. repens was the most preferred forage in 1996 and third preferred in 1997 by white-tailed deer. The study also showed L. repens is 16.9% crude protien and 78.4% condensed tannin.[6]

Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Weakley AS (2015) Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 USDA NRCS (2016) The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 12 February 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  3. Clewell AF (1966) Native North American species of Lespedeza (Leguminosae). Rhodora 68(775):359-405.
  4. Clinton BD, Vose JM, Swank WT (1993) Site preparation burning to improve southern Appalachian pine-hardwood stands: Vegetation composition and diversity of 13-year-old stands. Canadian Journal of Forest 23:2271-2277
  5. Miller JH, Miller KV (1999) Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. Southern Weed Science Society.
  6. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Littlefield KA, Mueller JP, Muir JP, Lambert BD (2011) Correlation of plant condensed tannin and nitrogen concentrations to white-tailed deer browse preference in the cross timbers. The Texas Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resource 24:1-7.