mile-a-minute vine, Asiatic tearthumb
(Persicaria perfoliata)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Native Range
Asia
Appearance
Mile-a-minute weed is a climbing, branching annual vine that grows up to 20 ft (6 m) long from a shallow root system. Stems, leaf petioles, and the undersides of leaf veins are covered in recurved spines. Leaves are alternate, triangular, and up to 3 in (7½ cm) long. Saucer-shaped ocrea surround the stem at each leaf node. Flowers are green and inconspicuous. Fruits are berry-like, blue at maturity, and each produces one hard, shiny black seed.
Impact
Mile-a-minute weed competes with other plants for limited resources, displacing more desirable species. It forms large mats that smother, shade out, and can even break shrubs and small trees in native and commercial forests. It is a nuisance in landscaping, nurseries, orchards, and transportation rights-of-way. The recurved spines covering the vines hinder movement of wildlife and recreationalists.
Reference
Hough-Goldstein, J. and E.C. Lake. 2022. Mile-A-Minute Weed (Persicaria perfoliata): History and Ecology in North America. In: R.L. Winston, Ed. Biological Control of Weeds in North America. North American Invasive Species Management Association, Milwaukee, WI. NAISMA-BCW-2022-11-MILE A MINUTE WEED-P. https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/26409.pdf
Resources
- Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- Alabama Noxious Weeds - Class A Noxious Weed
- City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant List
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Delaware Invasive Species Council
- Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Watch List
- Maine Invasive Plants
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
- Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
- Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
- Michigan’s Invasive Species Watch List
- Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
- New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species
- New Invaders of the Southeast
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- North Carolina Noxious Weeds
- Ohio Invasive Species Council
- Ohio Noxious Weeds
- Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
- Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds
- Pennsylvania Regulations for Controlled Plants and Noxious Weeds
- Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
- Rhode Island Natural History Survey
- South Carolina Plant Pest List
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
- Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan 2012
- Virginia Noxious Weeds
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- West Virginia Department of Agriculture Regulations Governing the Distribution of Plant Materials
- West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
- West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
- West Virginia Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Caryophyllanae |
| Order: Caryophyllales |
| Family: Polygonaceae |
| Genus: Persicaria |
| Persicaria perfoliata |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
Asiatic tearthumb
Related Scientific Names:
Ampelygonum perfoliatum L. (Synonym)
Polygonum perfoliatum L. (Synonym)
References
Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.