Japanese knotweed
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Polygonaceae Genus: Polygonum Species: P. cuspidatum
Binomial name
Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. & Zucc.

Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum, syn. Fallopia japonica) is a large, herbaceous perennial plant, native to Asia (Japan, China and Korea). It is also known by the common name Donkey rhubarb, although it's not a rhubarb. Fallopia japonica1. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families Achatocarpaceae Aizoaceae (Fig-marigold family) Amaranthaceae (amaranth family) Ancistrocladaceae Asteropeiaceae Barbeuiaceae Basellaceae (basella family) Cactaceae (cactus family) Caryophyllaceae (carnation family) Dioncophyllaceae Droseraceae (sundew family) Drosophyllaceae Frankeniaceae Molluginaceae (carpetweed family) Nepenthaceae Nyctaginaceae (four-oclock family) Physenaceae Phytolaccaceae (pokeweed family) Plumbaginaceae (plumbago family) Polygonaceae (buckwheat family) Portulacaceae (purslane family) Rhabdodendraceae... Genera See text The Polygonaceae, or the Knotweed Family, are a group of dicots including buckwheat, sorrel (but not wood sorrel), rhubarb, and knotgrass. ... Species see text Polygonum cuspidatum fall foliage Polygonum, or knotweed, is a genus in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... Species See text Rhubarb is a perennial plant that grows from thick short rhizomes, comprising the genus Rheum. ...

A member of the Polygonaceae family, Japanese knotweed is also known by the botanical names Fallopia japonica and Reynoutria japonica. It has hollow stems with distinct raised nodes that give it the appearance of bamboo, though it is not related. While stems may reach a maximum height of 3–4 m each growing season, it is typical to see much smaller plants in places where they sprout through cracks in the pavement or are repeatedly cut down. Genera See text The Polygonaceae, or the Knotweed Family, are a group of dicots including buckwheat, sorrel (but not wood sorrel), rhubarb, and knotgrass. ... A node is the place on a stem where a lateral meristem develops as either a lateral bud or a secondary shoot, often subtended by a leaf. ... Genera Many, see text Bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. ...

Where it has been introduced, Japanese knotweed is typically considered an invasive plant or weed. It is a frequent colonizer of temperate riparian ecosystems, roadsides and waste places of America, and can now be found in 40 out of 50 of the U.S. states, and 6 Canadian provinces. The monocultures that often form following Japanese knotweed invasions contribute to reductions in native biodiversity. The species is a frequent invader in Europe and the U.K., where it has been illegal to spread Japanese knotweed since 1981. It was first introduced to Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th century. Purple flowers of the highly invasive Pattersons Curse infest the Warrumbungle National Park in New South Wales, Australia. ... Dandelions, shown here in proliferation, are commonly thought of as weeds. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... Riparian areas or zones are the areas of vegetation directly separating land from water and immediately adjacent land that is frequently inundated, or, in other words, the floodways of streams. ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit of sorts. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has a related story: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... Monoculture means literally a single shared integrated pattern. ... Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of and in living nature. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Wikinews has news related to: United Kingdom Travel guide to United Kingdom from Wikitravel BBC Nations History of the nations within the UK British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) British Fashion - Wikichic. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has a related story: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Japanese knotweed in Greeleyville, South Carolina

Japanese knotweed flowers in the late summer and early fall, producing many clusters of tiny, white flowers. Because of this, some beekeepers value the plant as an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a nice monofloral honey, usually called "bamboo" honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, that is like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey (a plant also in the Polygonaceae family). Japanese knotweed File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese knotweed Categories: Images with unknown source ... Japanese knotweed File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese knotweed Categories: Images with unknown source ... Greeleyville is a town located in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. ... Monofloral honey is a type of honey which has a high value in the marketplace because it has a distictive flavor or other attribute due to its being predominately from the nectar of one plant species. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has a related story: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of one or more hives of honeybees. ... Species Fagopyrum esculentum Fagopyrum tataricum Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum common buckwheat, and Fagopyrum tataricum Tatar buckwheat) are plants in the genus Fagopyrum (sometimes classified as Polygonum) in the family Polygonaceae. ... Genera See text The Polygonaceae, or the Knotweed Family, are a group of dicots including buckwheat, sorrel (but not wood sorrel), rhubarb, and knotgrass. ...

The young stems can be used as a spring vegetable similarly to asparagus. Binomial name Asparagus officinalis Asparagus is the name of a vegetable obtained from one species within the genus Asparagus, specifically the young shoots of Asparagus officinalis. ...

Other English names for Japanese knotweed include Fleeceflower, Huzhang (Chinese: 虎杖; pinyin: Hǔzhàng), Hancock's curse, Japanese bamboo, and Mexican bamboo. Pinyin (拼音, pÄ«nyÄ«n) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin. ...

Closely related species include "Giant knotweed" (Polygonum sachalinense) and "Russian vine" (Polygonum aubertii).

Both Japanese knotweed and Giant knotweed are sources of Resveratrol. Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4-trihydroxystilbene) is a substance found in the skins of certain red grapes, the roots of Japanese knotweed (Hu Zhang in China) and Giant knotweed, peanuts, blueberries, some pines (Scots pine, Eastern white pine). ...

External links

• Recipes from "Wildman" Steve Brill
• Strategies for the Eradication of Japanese Knotweed An introduction to Japanese knotweed and the strategies used by homeowners to eradicate it.
• Knotweed profile from invasivespecies.gov
• Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) - A Noxious Weed in Washington
• Knotweed page on KnottyBits.com
• http://www.cabi-bioscience.org/html/japanese_knotweed_alliance.htm