On 2/8/12 1:18 PM, John Simpson wrote:

If you're in MD, your 'bamboo' is most likely Japanese Knotweed.
It's REAL tough to get rid of!

JAS


Both Wikipedia and Sunset's "Western Garden Book" indicate that Japanese
knotweed is Persicaria capitata. This is a ground cover that, in my
garden, forms a mat about 6 inches thick. Through most (sometimes all)
of the year, it has small clusters of pink flowers that resemble the
flowers of white clover. For that reason, P. capitata is also called
pink clover although it is definitely not a clover at all.

However, Wikipedia also indicates that Japanese knotweed is also
Fallopia japonica (aka, Polygonum cuspidatum or Reynoutria japonica).
This indeed grows like a bamboo to 10 or more feet high. If this is
really what Elliott P has, a grass-specific herbicide will not work
because Fallopia japonica is not at all a grass.

All this illustrates the fact that many different, unlike plants often
share the same common name. This is why I try to use botanical names
when possible. This also illustrates why the plant should be positively
identified before any attempt to eradicate it. If a neighbor was
correct in reporting that this was cut for feeding pandas at a nearby
zoo, however, this must be a bamboo and not F. japonica.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary