Lespedeza Question

[David Palmer]

Has anyone who has grown lespedeza for boat camouflage ever have your plants grow tentacles like the ones in this picture? I have a small plot of land in my backyard and only a small section of my plants have these tentacles.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Mine haven't done that. Could it be another plant growing on top of the lespedeza?

Eric

 

[Brad Bortner]

It?s hard to tell from the photo, but I believe that is a parasitic plant called dodder.

 

[Tom Wall]

I'll second the vote for fodder.

Tom

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Prior to Brad ID'ing it, I didn't know it was called dodder. What I do know is you better remove it now or next year it will return tenfold. I think you will need to remove the affected lespedeza, since it grows into/out of the host plant.

 

[Dave Diefenderfer]

Dave, how do you utilize it as camo? Does it stay green or brown up?

 

[roy brewington]

Put in a new Blind this past spring on river I hunt. Blind is situated inside a tump thats freestanding about 10 yds. from woods edge. While building I built a small boardwalk off back of blind to make it easy to get in. Stopped by there last week to check on it and that same viney stuff you have was everywhere on boardwalk and into chicken wire blind walls. Wasn,t there that I remember prior to blind build and cutting enough foliage in tump to install floors & walls. Parasite of some type thats taking advantage of increased sunlight i,m assuming.

 

[Michael McCord]

Please don't use sericea lespedeza as camo. It's extremely noxious and aggressive

 

[noweil Mike]

Please don't use sericea lespedeza as camo. It's extremely noxious and aggressive

This is spot on. Terribly Invasive. We have aerial imagery that we can track the spread thru the fields. Terrible stuff. Burning it just stimulates seed germination.