Plant Chats with Val- Japanese Knotweed

In addition to learning about more plants on Fairsted's cultural landscape, you can also learn more about the historic elm, which originally pre-dated Olmsted's move to Brookline, but was replanted in 2013.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 45 seconds

Japanese Knotweed, considered the scourge of gardens, is a highly invasive perennial shrub that is now classified as a noxious weed. It grows up to 10 feet tall and spreads rapidly by underground rhizomes and by seed with a root system that can be up to 10 feet deep and over 20 feet wide, displacing other plant life and reducing wildlife habitats. How did it come to be in the U.S. and what can be done to stop it?