Abstract:
Lespedeza cuneata (commonly "sericea") is an invasive, exotic, perennial legume. Sericea can produce two types of flowers on the same plant: self-pollinating cleistogamous (CL) and open-pollinating chasmogamous (CH). The purpose of this study was to determine if the ratio of CH to CL flowers is affected by plant density. Flowering in low-, medium-, and high•
density stands of sericea in a Greenwood County, Kansas, pasture
was monitored over the 10-week flowering period, August to
October, 1999. Two-way analysis of variance of these data indicated no difference among density treatments in CL flowering
(P = 0.168). Significant variation was found among density treatments in CH flowering (P = 0.041). Cleistogamous and CH flowering varied significantly among weeks (P < 0.001). Pastures in which sericea density is reduced by weed control treatments that fail to eliminate all sericea plants will likely produce a higher proportion of CH flowers in the remaining plants than
found prior to the control treatment. Heterosis in these remaining plants could produce a more vigorous infestation than that prior to weed control treatment.
