An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that’s been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted  — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Invasive Species Information Center
You are here
Home » Species Profiles » Terrestrial Invasives » Terrestrial Plants » Mile-A-Minute Weed

Mile-A-Minute Weed

Mile-A-Minute weed
Scientific Name:
Persicaria perfoliata (L.) H. Gross (formerly known as Polygonum perfoliatum L.) (ITIS)
Common Name:
Mile-a-minute weed or vine, Asiastic tearthumb
Photo:
Mile-a-minute vine, foliage - Photo by Britt Slattery; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Native To:
Asia (Stone 2010)
Date of U.S. Introduction:
1930s (Stone 2010)
Means of Introduction:
Introduced accidentally as a contaminant of nursery stock (Stone 2010)
Impact:
Forms dense mats that crowd out native species (Stone 2010)

Distribution/Maps/Survey Status

Images

Selected Resources

The section below contains selected highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. To view all related content for this species, click on "View all resources for species" in the top left of this page.

Partnership

Fact Sheet: Mile-A-Minute Weed
Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project.
Global Invasive Species Database - Persicaria perfoliata (vine, climber)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE) - Mile-a-Minute Vine, Mile-a Minute Knotweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Mile-A-Minute
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Persicaria perfoliata
CAB International.
New York Invasive Species Information - Mile-A-Minute Weed

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Federal Government

Biology and Biological Control of Mile-a-Minute Weed (Jul 2015) (PDF | 2.5 MB)
USDA. FS. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
FHTET-2008-10. See also: FHTET Publications for more resources.
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Polygonum perfoliatum
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Polygonum perfoliatum
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.
Pest Alert: Mile-A-Minute (Jun 2009)

USDA. FS. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry.
PLANTS Database - Asiatic Tearthumb
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Persicaria perfoliata
USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government

Fact Sheet: Mile-a-Minute Vine (Polygonum perfoliatum) (2014) (PDF | 206 KB)
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food. Division of Plant Industry.
See also: New Hampshire's Prohibited Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants
Forest Pests: Invasive Plants and Insects of Maryland - Mile-a-Minute (Aug 2012) (PDF | 584 KB)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Forest Service.
See also: Invasive Plants and Insects Fact Sheets for additional species to help control invasive species in Maryland
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Mile-A-Minute (PDF | 151 KB)
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands
Mile-a-Minute Vine (Polygonum perfoliatum)

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Academic

Connecticut Mile-A-Minute Vine
University of Connecticut. Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.
Introduced Species Summary Project - Mile-a-Minute Weed
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Mile-a-minute (Nov 2011) (PDF | 333 KB)
University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum.
See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive plants in Pennsylvania
Invasive Plants and Insects: Mile-A-Minute
Pennsylvania State University. Cooperative Extension.
Maine Invasive Plants Bulletin: Mile-a-Minute Weed
University of Maine. Cooperative Extension.
See also: Maine Invasive Plants & Entire Series for entire series of 22 fact sheets and invasive plants brochure (available in HTML/PDF or for purchase)

Citations

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Persicaria perfoliata. [Accessed Mar 19, 2015].
  • Stone, K.R. 2010. Polygonum perfoliatum. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.