Fallopia japonica, also called Japanese Knotweed or Mexican Bamboo, an invasive plant, flourishes here along Dill Brook Road in Petersburgh and along many creeks in New York. It is recognizable by the stout, bushy, branched, jointed, bamboo-like reddish stems with four to six-inch pointed leaves. The young shoots can be cooked and eaten like asparagus. This shrub grows to over 10 feet high and spreads quickly to form dense thickets that exclude native vegetation. It poses a significant threat to streams and river banks where it can survive severe floods. Once established, populations are extremely persistent. Knotweed reproduces by rhizomes and seeds carried by water and wind. Pull it up and dig up its roots. If you can’t do that, shear it off at least twice a year. Do so now before it blooms later in the summer. Photo by Trix Niernberger.
