(Click on an image below to see the captioned full-size version)
Figure 1		Figure 2		Figure 3		Figure 4		Figure 5

Scientific Name: Polygonum perfoliatum, Persicaria perfoliata
Common Names: Mile-A-Minute Vine, Mile-A-Minute Weed, Asiatic Tearthumb, Devil's Tail, Mile-A-Minute Knotweed

Habitat:
Prefers sunny sites with moist soil. Disturbed areas, roadsides, woodland edges, orchards, nurseries, forest clear cuts, right-of-ways, stream banks, wet meadows

Key ID Features:
	Light blue-green leaves are triangular and 1-3” (2-8cm) wide. (Figure 1)
	Thin, jointed, highly branched stems are green to reddish-green in color.
	Curving spines are present on the leaf stalks, stems, and underside of leaves along the veins. (Figure 2)
	A leaf-like cup of tissue (ocrea) surrounds the stem at the base of the leaf stalk. (Figure 3)
	Flowers are inconspicuous.
	Metallic blue, berry-like, pea-sized (5mm) fruits are present from mid July through the first frost. (Figure 4)
	Plants are annuals that form a highly branched vine capable of growing over trees and shrubs. (Figure 5)

Similar species: Polygonum arifolium (halberdleaf tearthub), Polygonum sagittatum (arrowleaf tearthumb), Polygonum scandens var. cristatum (false buckwheat), Calystegia sepium (wild morning glory), Polygonum cilinode (fringed black bindweed), and Polygonum convolvulus (black bindweed). For information on how to distinguish these species from mile-a-minute vine, visit this excellent web resource from the University of Connecticut.

Fact sheets and references:

• University of Connecticut Mile-a-minute vine resources
• Spanish/English pest alert from USDA-NRCS
• Entry for Polygonum perfoliatum in Global Invasive Species Database
• Biological Control of Mile-a-Minute Weed: US Forest Service

Last reviewed August 2023