# mile-a-minute weed (*Persicaria perfoliata*) Mile-a-minute weed is a fast-growing plant that can climb over other plants and fences. It has bright green leaves and tiny, blue flowers that attract butterflies and bees! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 13 - **Habitat:** Urban areas - **Also known as:** Asian tearthumb, Devil's tail ![mile-a-minute weed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Persicaria_perfoliata_7.JPG&width=800) Photo: Dalgial, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Persicaria_perfoliata_7.JPG) ## Appearance The mile-a-minute weed has distinctive light green, triangular (arrowhead-shaped) leaves, often with a dark blotch in the center. Its slender, reddish stems are covered in tiny, backward-pointing barbs, making it feel rough to the touch. Tiny, white, or pale pink flowers appear in clusters at the leaf nodes. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Polygonaceae - **Genus:** Persicaria ## Interesting facts - Its unique seeds wear a tiny blue "hat" that helps them float on water! - The plant's stems have tiny, backward-pointing hooks, making it clingy like Velcro! - This plant can grow almost a foot (30 cm) in just ONE day! - Young leaves taste like spinach with a tangy kick and are safe to eat raw! ## Special abilities - **Rapid Ascent:** Mile-a-minute weed can grow up to 15 cm daily, quickly climbing over and smothering other plants for sunlight. - **Barbed Grapplers:** It has sharp, hooked barbs on its stems that help it grip and climb aggressively over any support. - **Floating Seed Power:** Its blue-black seeds are buoyant, allowing water to carry them far from the parent plant for dispersal. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-600 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.4 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer-fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Self ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Mile-a-minute weevil (*Rhinoncomimus latipes*) — Its leaves are eaten by this specialized biocontrol weevil. - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Its small flowers attract various generalist insect pollinators. - **Eaten by:** [Northern Cardinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-cardinal) (*Cardinalis cardinalis*) — Many bird species eat its distinctive blue-black seeds. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. - [Invasive](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/invasive): Invasive species are non-native organisms that cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Be careful not to touch the plant too much, as it can be prickly. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify mile-a-minute weed? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is mile-a-minute weed? 30-600 cm ### How big are the flowers on mile-a-minute weed? 0.2-0.4 cm ### When does mile-a-minute weed bloom? Summer-fall ### Is mile-a-minute weed edible? Yes ### Is mile-a-minute weed toxic? None ### What is mile-a-minute weed's lifecycle? Annual ### How is mile-a-minute weed pollinated? Self ## Where to spot - [Camp Misty Mount Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/camp-misty-mount-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District - [Elk Neck State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/elk-neck-state-park) — Maryland, US · State Park - [Morris Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/morris-arboretum) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden - [Russian Village Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/russian-village-historic-district) — Connecticut, US · Historic District - [Rutgers Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rutgers-gardens) — New Jersey, US · Botanical Garden - [Camp Greentop Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/camp-greentop-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District [View all places to see mile-a-minute weed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/mile-a-minute-weed) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Mile-a-minute Weed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mile-a-minute-weed)