Plants That Look Like Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed is a horticultural horror, its rhizomes spreading far and wide at back breaking speeds, causing damage to your property - and to your wallet!

However, not all suspected cases of Japanese knotweed are actually the real deal. In fact, the invasive weed has many doppelgangers, and many instances of suspected knotweed are merely cases of mistaken identity.

So, before you flamethrower your back garden and bulldoze your house, it’s important to know that you are dealing with the legit knotweed plant and not a floral facsimile.

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Plants Commonly Mistaken for Japanese Knotweed

Bindweed

Bearing heart-shaped leaves like its Japanese twin, bindweed also has a rapid growth spurt when it first appears in the springtime. However, unlike Japanese knotweed, bindweed isn’t capable of supporting itself and, instead, makes its vertical ascent by coiling itself around the stems of other standing plants.

Bindweed also boasts large flowers in the summertime, clearly differentiating itself from traditional Japanese knotweed.

Russian Vine

Much like Japanese knotweed, Russian vine has similar looking leaves and flowers, while it is also fast growing. On the other hand, it is also similar to bindweed in that it relies on other plants to grow upward, twisting and climbing around the stems of taller, more solid vegetation.

Bamboo

Perhaps the most widely known of its contemporaries, bamboo grows tall like knotweed and also has visible nodes on its stem, making the two very similar in appearance. That being said, bamboo stems are considerably denser than its Asian brethren and boasts a strong sturdiness lacking in Japanese knotweed. Bamboo leaves are also notably narrower and longer.

Broadleaf Dock

Part of the same family, broadleaf dock shares numerous characteristics with Japanese knotweed, from its arrangement of leaves to the spiky shape of its flowers and stems. However, this plant is typically shorter than Japanese knotweed and contains a foamy substance in its stem, clearly visible when cracked open.

Other plants that closely resemble knotweed include:

Ground Elder
Himalayan Honeysuckle
Himalayan Balsam
Himalayan Knotweed
Lilac/Woody Shrubs

Identifying Japanese Knotweed

Identifying Japanese knotweed can be a bit of a challenge with so many plants that closely resemble it. Check out our Japanese knotweed identification guide for more tips and tricks on identifying knotweed.

Japanese Knotweed Identification Guide

If you suspect that your home is under attack from the pesky plant of the Pacific, your best option is to call in the experts. With over 15 years of experience beneath our belts, Japanese Knotweed Removal is a leading specialist in Japanese knotweed treatment; not only can we correctly identify Japanese knotweed from its lookalikes, we can also treat and remove your unwelcome garden guest accordingly.

Reach out and contact us today to arrange your FREE, no-obligation knotweed survey. One of our knotweed removal specialists will help identify the unwanted weeds growing in your garden and give you a no-nonsense quote for our knotweed treatment services. Free Survey