Polygonum cuspidatum

Scientific Name: Polygonum cuspidatum
Common Name: Japanese knotweed

Nearly heart-shaped leaves on a narrrow "bamboo" stalk, and long, narrow, upright clusters of tiny white flowers help identify Japanese knotweed.
Photographer: Tom Potterfield

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A non-native, invasive plant in the U.S. This plant's aggressive root system makes it extremely difficult to get rid of; more and more stalks appear each year.