Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata)
Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) is a trailing vine with barbed stems and triangular leaves. In contrast to other invasive vines, mile-a-minute is an herbaceous annual, meaning it dies each fall and new plants grow from germinating seeds in the spring. Each vine can grow 20 to 30 feet long, forming a dense, tangled blanket of intertwined vines. In the peak growing season, mile-a-minute can put on up to 6 inches of growth a day. Its leaves are distinctly triangular or arrowhead-shaped, 1 to 3 inches wide, vibrant green, and bear many hooked barbs along the underside of the central vein and leaf stem. The dense foliage of this invasive weed blankets and slowly suffocates native vegetation, making it extremely destructive and persistent despite being an annual plant.
Publication Date: 2020
Credits: Prepared by Skylure Templeton, Art Gover, Dave Jackson, and Sarah Wurzbacher. Reviewed by Norris Muth, Amy Jewitt, and Andrew Rohrbaugh.
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