Mile-a-minute-weed
Persicaria perfoliata
Summary 5
Persicaria perfoliata (syn. Polygonum perfoliatum) is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Common names include mile-a-minute weed, devil's tail, and giant climbing tearthumb. It is a trailing herbaceous annual vine with barbed stems and triangular leaves. It is native to most of temperate and tropical eastern Asia.
Ecological threat in the united states 6
Mile-a-minute weed grows rapidly, scrambling over shrubs and other vegetation, blocking the foliage of covered plants from available light, and reducing their ability to photosynthesize, which stresses and weakens them. In addition, the weight and pressure of the vine causes distortion of stems and branches of covered plants. If left unchecked, reduced photosynthesis can kill a plant. Large infestations of mile-a-minute weed eventually reduce native plant species in natural areas. Small populations of extremely rare plants may be eliminated entirely. Because it can smother tree seedlings, mile-a-minute weed has a negative effect on Christmas tree farms, forestry operations on pine plantations and reforestation of natural areas. It has the potential to be a problem to nursery and horticulture crops that are not regularly tilled as a cultivation practice.
Sources and Credits
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/natureserve/15581032166/
- (c) 潘立傑 LiChieh Pan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/plj/2494114505/
- (c) Steven Severinghaus, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/horsepunchkid/14845798464/
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/natureserve/15418082029/
- Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_perfoliata
- (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22948764
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
- 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
- 植物和名−学名インデックス YList
