This plant is always the first thing to appear after a volcanic erruption in its native homeland of Japan. Its roots can survive deep under the ground and even remain dormant for a number of years.
It the wilds of its native land, it has naturally occouring pests and deseases, which have evolved along side it and keep this plant in check, with a naturally occouring balence. In its native environment, it dose not become a pest. However it is a different story for the rest of the world.
We in this country, have victorian gardeners to blame. They brought it over for it's attractive attractive stems and folliage, as a tall architectural plants to fill up a large shady areas of gardens.
Soon people began to realise that this was no suitable garden plant and much of it &/or soil containig its roots was fly tipped, mainly on railway lines, footpaths and railway lines.
Japanese knotweed, although quite edible to many creatures (including humans, spring stems can be steamed like asparagus) it has few natural preditors outside its native Japan.
Its roots can go 3metres deep and advance the same distance annually in all directions, pushing up through tarmac road surfaces, bricks and morter as well as solid concreat. It understandably causes a great headache for the construction industry, whom are govened by tighteng regulations for the plants erradication.
1 comment:
It would be handy if you'd have a picture of this invasive weed.
I know exactly what you are talking about. As farmers we've had to combat many declared and invasive weeds which had been introduced into our country by the first settlers, unknown what impact it could have on our environment.
A plant, harmless in it's native country, could be disastrous over here due to the favourable conditions.
Not only flora, but fauna too have become great pests in Autralia, see many of my blog entries. Blackberries, Cape weed, Doublegees, cane toads, donkeys, buffalo, just to name a few.
I shall look up your knotweed on google images.
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