Family: Fabaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Lespedeza cuneata (Chinese lespedeza) is a perennial legume native to a wide region spanning Afghanistan, Japan, tropical Asia, and eastern to southeastern Australia. It is a hardy, upright plant with slender, hairy stems and many small, narrow leaflets. In late summer, it produces small pea-like flowers that are typically white to pale purple, followed by seed pods. This species has been widely introduced outside its native range for uses such as livestock forage, hay production, erosion control, soil improvement through nitrogen fixation, and occasionally as a cover crop or ornamental plant.

Risks & Threats
Although Lespedeza cuneata is currently not known to be naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands, it possesses traits that are cause for concern. In other regions where it has been introduced, it can spread aggressively and form dense stands that crowd out native vegetation. Its ability to fix nitrogen can alter soil chemistry, potentially favoring invasive species and changing natural plant communities. It may also be unpalatable to grazing animals, allowing it to persist and expand unchecked in disturbed areas. Because of these characteristics, it could detrimentally impact tropical island ecosystems if it becomes established. Choosing low-risk or native Hawaiian plants is recommended to help protect local biodiversity and ecosystem health.

High Risk Traits:

• Environmental weed – Crowds out native plants in meadows, prairies, and woodlands; forms dense stands.
  
• Agricultural weed – Invades grasslands, fallow fields, and cultivated areas; noxious in Kansas.
  
• Produces spines – Leaflets have awl-shaped spines.
  
• Allelopathic – Produces tannins and other compounds that inhibit other plants.
  
• Host for pests/pathogens – Hosts multiple fungi, including powdery mildew.
  
• Forms dense thickets – Creates dense stands on sterile or eroded slopes.
  
• Nitrogen-fixing – Grows on low-fertility soils and improves nitrogen levels.
  
• Self-compatible – Produces cleistogamous (self-fertilizing) flowers.
  
• High seed production – Up to ~82,000 seeds/m².
  
• Persistent seed bank – Seeds viable up to 20+ years (60% germination after 55 years).
  
• Bird-dispersed – Seeds consumed and passed by birds and quail.
  
• Tolerates mutilation/fire – Sprouts from caudex after fire; burning can break seed dormancy.
  
• Wide soil tolerance – Grows on pH 4.0–7.0, low fertility, drought, and aluminum.

Low Risk Traits:

• Not toxic to animals or humans – No evidence.
  
• No vegetative fragmentation – Primary reproduction is by seed.
  
• No wind or water dispersal adaptations – Seeds lack specialized structures.