Click on images to enlarge
infestation (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
creeping habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
leaves with darker v-shaped markings (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
flower clusters (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
close-up of young flowers (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
close-up of seeds (Photo: Jose Hernandez at USDA PLANTS Database)
young plant (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
Scientific Name
Persicaria capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) H. Gross
Synonyms
Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don
Family
Polygonaceae
Common Names
Japanese knot weed, Japanese knotweed, knotweed, persicaria, pink-head knotweed, pinkhead knotweed, pinkhead smartweed
Origin
Native to China, the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. Bhutan, northern India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia).
Naturalised Distribution
This species is becoming widely naturalised in southern and eastern Australia. It is currently naturalised in south-eastern Queensland, in the coastal and sub-coastal districts of northern and central New South Wales and in the coastal districts of south-western Western Australia. It is also sparingly naturalised in south-eastern South Australia.
Naturalised overseas in the USA (i.e. California, Oregon and Louisiana), New Zealand, La Réunion and Hawaii.
Notes
Japanese knotweed (Persicaria capitata) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales.