An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Terrestrial Invasives
  3. Terrestrial Plants
  4. 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

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)

Mile-A-Minute weed

Mile-a-minute vine, foliage

Credit

Photo by Britt Slattery; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Source
Invasive.org.

Find more images

Spotlights

  • First Occurrence of Mile-a-Minute Weed Confirmed in Maine, Urgent Action Required

    • Aug 8, 2023

    • Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry.

    • The Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry (DACF) has recently verified the first known occurrence of mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata) in Maine. This fast-growing invasive vine, native to India, Asia, and the Philippine Islands, poses a significant threat to nurseries, Christmas tree farms, reforestation projects, and restoration areas, as it can smother young plants and trees under its dense growth.

      Invasive species like mile-a-minute weed have the potential to cause severe harm to Maine's environment and economy. As part of our commitment to controlling and eradicating this invasive plant, the DACF urges the public to report any potential sightings promptly. If you encounter a vine resembling mile-a-minute weed, please visit the Maine Natural Areas webpage for identification information. If the plant matches the description, we encourage you to take photos, note the location, and report the finding via email to Invasives.MNAP@maine.gov or call (207) 287-7545.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

All Resources

View and Filter All Mile-A-Minute Weed Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Partnership
Federal Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Citations

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Persicaria perfoliata. [Accessed Sep 19, 2023].

  • 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.