Talk:Mile-a-minute weed
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[edit] Successful establishment
The date of successful establishment is disputed. Several websites (including government sites) claim it was in the late 1930s, though other websites (academic and government) claim a specific date of 1946. See https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Invasive/forests.html for one example. I tried to get to the bottom of the abiguity for a research paper in college, but got no where. I'm not sure there is primary research to speak of that would allow us to determine which date is correct. Rkitko 10:26, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] copyright vio?
some of this material seems to have been copied verbatum from the USDA invasive plant website.
Mile-a-minute weed is primarily a self-pollinating plant (supported by its inconspicuous, closed flowers and lack of a detectable scent), with occasional outcrossing. Fruits and viable seeds are produced without assistance from pollinators. Vegetative propagation from roots has not been successful for this plant. It is a very tender annual, withering with a slight frost, and reproduces successfully until the first frost. Mile-a-minute is a prolific seeder, producing many seeds on a single plant over a long season, from June until October in Virginia, and a slightly shorter season in more northern geographic areas.
Birds are probably the primary long-distance dispersal agents of mile-a-minute weed. Transport of seeds short distances by native ant species has been observed. This activity is probably encouraged by the presence of a tiny white food body (elaiosome) on the tip of the seed that may be attractive to the ants. These seed-carrying ants may play an important role in the survival and germination of the seeds of mile-a-minute weed. Local bird populations are important for dispersal under utility lines, bird feeders, fence lines and other perching locations. Other animals observed eating mile-a-minute weed fruits are chipmunks, squirrel and deer.
all of this is from the biology and spread part of the USDA webpage. Matthias5 14:52, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] 2 plant species called Mile-a-minute weed
There is also another species that is called "mile-a-minute weed": Mikania micrantha
From [1]: "Mikania micrantha is a fast growing, perennial, creeping and twining plant, commonly called mile-a-minute because of its vigorous and rampant growth habit. It grows best where fertility, organic matter, soil moisture, and humidity are all high and damages or kills other plants by cutting out the light and smothering them. Not to be confused with Polygonum perfoliatum (also mile-a-minute weed)."
...and searching "Mikania micrantha" returns results where it is referred to as "mile-a-minute weed".
Dfmchfhf 03:26, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
