Polygonum cuspidatum
Mexican Bamboo
- Site: well-drained to moist soil with full sun
- Plant community: This plant is most commonly found in moist, open habitats such as riverbanks, river islands, and disturbed wetlands; along road margins, and in areas with disturbed soils.
- Invasive traits: grows very rapidly, and forms dense thickets up to nine feet in height. Thickets may be so dense that virtually all other plant species are shaded out. Large colonies frequently exist as monocultures, reducing the diversity of plant species and significantly altering natural habitat. This plant has persistent underground fleshy rhizome (stem), growing five feet or more out from the upright stems; Reproduction from rhizomes (horizontal underground stems), even small fragments, enables the plant to be easily transferred to new sites by flowing water and by soil used as fill.
- Other: This is a hard to control invasive plant - cutting it down just makes it angry. The best way to get rid of Mexican Bamboo is to cover it first to weaken it, and then mow it down several times a year.