Persicaria perfoliata (Non-native)

Synonym(s)
Polygonum perfoliatum
Common Name
Mile-a-minute vine
Mile-a-minute weed
Devil’s tearthumb
Plant Form
Shrubs & Small Trees
Region
Coastal
Piedmont
Mountain
Considered Invasive by the State of Virginia?
Yes
Threat Level
High
Additional Info

Notes: Mile-a-minute vine is an annual vine that smothers just about anything in its path. Its rapid growth rate – up to 6 inches a day – explains this invasive’s common name. It flowers and fruits continually from early summer until frost. A prolific seeder, it takes over an area within several years of its introduction. It’s also called devil’s tearthumb, an allusion to its tiny, sharp barbs, which can lacerate skin. It forms prickly, tangled thicket it that deters workers, hikers, and hunters and overruns native vegetation, thus destroying habitat for native plants, birds, and mammals.

Control methods: Remove from vertical surfaces first. Pull up roots (, ideally in April or May) and bag if fruiting. 

Attention! DO NOT COMPOST

 

Native Look-alikes
Phytolacca americana
Smilax bona-nox
Smilax glauca
Smilax herbacea
Smilax hispida
Smilax laurifolia
Smilax pseudochina
Smilax pulverulenta
Smilax rotundifolia
Smilax walteri

Photographer: egayle1
Licensed under: CC BY-NC 4.0
Original photo: Original photo

Photographer: Robby Deans
Licensed under: CC BY-NC 4.0
Original photo: Original photo

Photographer: Robby Deans
Licensed under: CC BY-NC 4.0
Original photo: Original photo