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A member of the Polygonaceae family, Japanese knotweed is also known by the scientific names Fallopia japonica and Reynoutria japonica. It has hollow stems with distinct raised nodes that give it the appearance of bamboo, though it is not related. While stems may reach a maximum height of 3–4 m each growing season, it is typical to see much smaller plants in places where they sprout through cracks in the pavement or are repeatedly cut down.

Where it has been introduced, Japanese knotweed is typically considered an invasive plant or weed. It is a frequent colonizer of temperate riparian ecosystems, roadsides and waste places of America, and can now be found in 40 out 50 of the U.S. states, and 6 CanadianCanada historically the Dominion of Canada is the second-largest, and northernmost, country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a constitutional monarchy, and formed in 1867 through an act of Confe provinces. The monocultureMonoculture means literally a single shared integrated pattern. It has several meaning is specific fields (which follow below). Agriculture In agriculture, the term monoculture is a term used to describe plantings of a single species. A major force in thes that often form following Japanese knotweed invasions contribute to reductions in native biodiversityBiodiversity or biological diversity is a neologism and a portmanteau word, from bio and diversity. It is the diversity of and in living nature. Diversity, at its heart, implies the number of different kinds of objects, such as species. However, defining. The species is a frequent invader in EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se and the U.K.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, where it has been illegal to spread Japanese knotweed since the 1980s. It was first introduced to EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se and the U.S. in the late 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended.

Japanese knotweed in Greeleyville, South Carolina

Japanese knotweed flowers in the late summer and early fall, producing many clusters of tiny, white flowers. Because of this, some beekeepers value the plant as an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a nice monofloral honey, usually called "bamboo" honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, that is like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey (a plant also in the Polygonaceae family).

Other English names for Japanese knotweed include Fleeceflower, Huzhang, Hancock's curse, Japanese bamboo, and Mexican bamboo.

Closely related species include "Giant knotweed" (Polygonum sachalinense) and "Russian vine" (Polygonum aubertii).

Both Japanese knotweed and Giant knotweed are sources of Resveratrol.