Mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata) is an invasive annual vine that can quickly overtake other plants. With its triangular leaves, barbed stems, and rapid growth rate, mile-a-minute weed poses a threat to natural habitats across much of the eastern United States. While easy to identify once you know what to look for, there are several other plants that may be confused for mile-a-minute at first glance. Read on to learn about 8 common lookalikes, how to tell them apart, and whether they may cause problems in your yard or garden.
What is Mile-a-Minute Weed?
Before diving into lookalikes. let’s review some key traits that set mile-a-minute weed apart
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Triangular or arrowhead-shaped leaves The leaves have 3 main lobes and resemble an equilateral triangle
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Prominent ocrea surrounding the stem at nodes. The ocrea is a distinctive cup-shaped feature that contains the flowers and later the fruits.
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Small curved barbs lining the stems and leaf undersides. These help the vine cling and climb up other plants and structures.
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Rapid growth rate upwards of 6 inches per day once established. The vines become thickets that blanket other plants.
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Inconspicuous white flowers leading to blue berry-like fruits. Each fruit contains a single glossy black seed.
1. Oriental Bittersweet
One of the most common plants mistaken for mile-a-minute is Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). While also an aggressive introduced vine, Oriental bittersweet has rounded, elliptical leaves rather than triangular. It also lacks barbs and ocrea like those seen on mile-a-minute weed. The two can be easily distinguished upon close inspection.
Oriental bittersweet produces clusters of yellow capsules that split open to reveal bright red-orange fleshy arils enclosing the seeds. It’s often planted purposefully for its eye-catching fruit, but can invade natural areas. Manage Oriental bittersweet by cutting vines at the base and monitoring for regrowth.
2. Field Bindweed
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is a perennial vine native to Europe and Asia. Its leaves are shaped like arrows or spades, but they lack the triangular form and barbs of mile-a-minute. Field bindweed produces white or pink funnel-shaped flowers.
While field bindweed can climb up other plants, it does not grow nearly as rapidly as mile-a-minute weed. However, its deep root system makes it tough to control. Manual removal and persistent hacking of stems and roots may be required.
3. Hedge Bindweed
Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is a native vine that can become weedy. Its leaves are shaped more like arrows than triangles. The stems lack barbs and ocrea. Hedge bindweed has large white trumpet-shaped flowers.
Compared to mile-a-minute weed, hedge bindweed is less aggressive and a slower grower. But it still can overwhelm small plants through smothering. Manual removal and maintaining competitive plantings may keep it in check.
4. Halberd-Leaved Tearthumb
Halberd-leaved tearthumb (Persicaria arifolia) is a related native species in the Polygonaceae family. It has leaves shaped like triangular arrows or halberds that superficially resemble those of mile-a-minute weed. However, its stems lack ocrea and barbs, and the leaves have smoother edges.
Halberd-leaved tearthumb produces small white or pink flowers. As its name suggests, the arching prickly stems can tear clothing and skin. Manual removal is recommended to control it. Monitor for regrowth.
5. Arrow-Leaved Tearthumb
Arrow-leaved tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata) is another native tearthumb species that may invite a double-take. As the name suggests, its leaves are arrow-shaped. The stems and undersides of leaves have tiny bristles but lack the larger recurved barbs of mile-a-minute weed.
Arrow-leaved tearthumb grows fairly rapidly but is not considered overly aggressive. It produces small white or pink flowers in summer. Monitor it and remove manually if it becomes too rampant.
6. Wild Morning Glory
Wild morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) and related vines have heart-shaped or lobed leaves that differ from the triangular form of mile-a-minute. The twining stems lack barbs or ocrea. Wild morning glory climbs via twisting petioles rather than recurved barbs.
This vine produces funnel-shaped purple or white flowers similar to field bindweed. Wild morning glory germinates late in the season, so early removal of seedlings may help control it. Monitor for regrowth.
7. Swallow-Worts
Swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum species) include black swallow-wort and pale swallow-wort, both introduced to North America from Europe. These perennial twining vines have oval, shiny leaves and lack the triangular shape of mile-a-minute weed. While their stems may be described as “rough”, they do not have true recurved barbs.
Flowers resemble those of morning glories, but are smaller. Pods produce seeds with silky hairs used for wind dispersal. Swallow-worts can aggressively colonize habitats and harm monarch butterflies. Remove them promptly when found.
8. Grape Vines
Wild and domesticated grape vines (Vitis species) sometimes raise concern, but can be distinguished from mile-a-minute weed. Grape leaves are rounded, heart-shaped, or lobed rather than triangular. The stems lack ocrea and barbs. Tendrils form opposite some leaves and allow grapes to cling.
Grapes produce clusters of small green flowers that develop into the familiar fruits. Unless grape vines begin to take over, control is generally not needed. Simply keep them trimmed back from trees and structures as desired.
How to Control Mile-a-Minute Weed
If you do find mile-a-minute weed taking over your property, take action promptly! Manual removal, repeated mowing/cutting, herbicides, and biological control agents like the mile-a-minute weevil can all help suppress this fast-growing invader. Always properly ID the plant first since many lookalikes are beneficial or native species. With persistence and multi-tactic management, mile-a-minute weed can be controlled to prevent its domination.
Mile a Minute: Accurate Identification
Length: 00:04:19 | David R. Jackson Learn the distinguishing characteristics to help you accurately identify the invasive mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata).
Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) is an invasive, herbaceous, annual vine. It is designated as a “Class B” noxious weed by the State of Pennsylvania. Mile-a-minute forms dense mats that cover and eventually smoother native vegetation. It grows quickly along forest edges, wetlands, roadsides, streambanks, and uncultivated fields. It likes places with full sunlight and moist soil. This video will teach you how to recognize a mile-a-minute, which is an important first step before any controls are put in place.
– Mile-a-minute is an invasive trailing vine with barbed stems and triangular leaves.
Its a member of the buckwheat family, originally from India and East Asia.
This species was first documented in York County, Pennsylvania in the 1930s.
The state of Pennsylvania considers mile-a-minute to be a class B noxious weed, which means it can’t be sold and there is a large infestation that can’t be easily removed on a statewide level.
Mile-a-minute is an herbaceous annual, which means it dies every fall and is replaced by new plants that grow from seeds that sprout in the spring.
Its seeds can remain viable in the soil for at least five years.
Growing up to six inches per day, each vine can grow 20 to 30 feet in length.
The vines form dense, tangled mats of intertwined vegetation.
The huge vine covers and slowly suffocates native plants, blocking sunlight and making it impossible for the plants below to make food.
The dense mats can eventually kill overtopped plants.
Mile-a-minute is extremely destructive and persistent, despite being an annual.
It has bright green leaves that are triangular or arrowhead-shaped, one to three inches wide, and have many hooked barbs along the underside of the central vein and leaf stem, or petiole.
Round leaf-like structures called ocrea completely encircle the main stem at the base of each leaf petiole.
You can’t see the pale green flowers on mile-a-minute vine, but in late summer, it makes clear metallic blue or purple berry-like fruits that are each about 1/4 of an inch across.
The fruit appear in an elongated cluster at the vines tips.
The clusters have a round, cup-like leaf structure directly below them.
The stems are thin, flexible, and covered in tiny hooked barbs.
The barbs enable the vine to climb over plants and manmade surfaces.
During winter, the tangle of dead stems persist, forming a mat over desirable vegetation.
Mile-a-minute fruits are small and often distributed by accidental movement.
Theyre dispersed easily by moving contaminated soil found on vehicles, ATVs, heavy machinery, and logging equipment.
They can also be dispersed by water in riparian areas.
The fruit is buoyant for up to nine days and can be deposited far downstream from parent colonies.
The fruit is also eaten by birds, some small mammals, and deer, which then leave behind seeds in their droppings.
This is presumed to be the main cause of long-distance spread.
The fruit is available for consumption from midsummer through fall.
Mile-a-minute seed can remain viable for at least five years, making eradication difficult.
Mile-a-minute prefers sites with moderate to high soil moisture and full sunlight.
It rapidly colonizes forest edges, wetlands, roadsides, stream banks, and uncultivated fields.
More and more open space is being made for this species by roads, other rights of way, and development that cut up forests.
To sum up, mile-a-minute is an annual trailing vine with sharp stems, triangular leaves, and round leaf-like structures on the main stem. The fruit is purple-blue and looks like a berry.
Despite being an annual, its rapid growth and prolific seed production make this plant very difficult to control.
You can tell the difference between mile-a-minute on your property and across the landscape by using these key traits.
This is the first step in any invasive plant control program.
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