Plant Identification 

Japanese Knotweed
(Polygonum cuspidatum) 

Fact Sheet , Management , Distribution

Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial that colonizes roadway and riparian areas. Introduced as an ornamental, it is also frequently found in yards.

Summer growth	Winter dormant stalks	Identification Tips  Plants grow to heights of 3-10 feet.   Stalks are fleshy, thick, and mottled in the summer and rigid, hollow, and reddish in the winter.
Leaf close-up	Flower close-up	Leaves are broadly ovate and heart shaped.   In August Japanese knotweed produces cascading white flowers.

More Japanese Knotweed Images

Common Native Look-Alike Plants
The native plants listed below may be confused with the invasive Japanese knotweed.

Basswood (Tilia Americana)

American Elm (Ulmus americana)

Both native tree species have a superficial resemblance to Japanese knotweed when in the sapling stage based on leaf shape, size or arrangement.