August 6, 2009 9:32 am

Freaky Vines

Talk about invasive species, the Norwalk Tree Alliance and the Norwalk Tree Advisory Committee is asking you to watch out for the invasion of the mile-a-minute vine. The vine has been spotted in Norwalk. Sheffield Island, someone’s property on Blue Mountain Road and a CL & P substation on East Rocks Road.�

According to the press advisory, the weed is called the mile-a-minute vine—or devil’s tearthumb—because it can grow up to six inches in a single day. Maybe Barry Bonds will investigate harnessing the potential, but in the meanwhile other plant species die off as they get covered by the weed.

From the press advisory:

Dave Tracy, president of the Norwalk Tree Alliance, said his organization is concerned because of the potential impact on both the public and private components of the urban forest.

“It’s a real sunlight hog,”�Tracy�said. “We are hopeful that�Norwalk’s residents�will help us to spot any infestations so the spread of the vine can be minimized or even reversed.”

Hal Alvord,�Norwalk’s tree warden and director of public works, said the vine�“poses a significant threat to the progress the city has made over the past few years to enhance the health and vitality of the urban forest. A vine can overtake a tree in a single season. We urge residents to report any sightings.”

Reports can be made to the�Norwalk�Customer�Service�Center�online at�customerservice@norwalkct.org or by calling the center at (203) 854-3200.

Those who contact the center will be told how to eradicate the weed safely by pulling the stem from the ground and bagging the entire growth. Thick gloves are essential because of the barbs on the stems

Periscaria perfoliata, to give the vine its latin name, originated in�Japan�and has been dispersed over the years in the�U.S.�by birds and ants.

The vine is identifiable by its light green triangular-shaped leaves, the small curved barbs on the stems and the saucer-shaped leaves called ocrea on the stem nodes.

Generally the vine is found on the edges of woods, wetlands, stream banks,��roadsides and uncultivated open fields. The plant attaches itself to other plants with the barbs and extends to higher light intensity. Flowers and deep blue berries emerge seasonally.

Logan Senack,�Connecticut’s invasive plant coordinator, working out of UConn at�Storrs, suggests: “Early detection and rapid response can lessen the ecological damage. Finding populations early can make control and removal much easier, less expensive and less time-consuming.”

Senack also reveals the weed has been reported in�Stamford,�Greenwich,�Westport, Weston and�Monroe.

http://intensedebate.com/people/NwlkSpectator NwlkSpectator

Roundup has a particular formula for vines, including Kudzu, or mile-a-minute. I believe that it's important not to try to yank the vine out of the ground, because you won't get all the root, but when you cut it, put the Roundup on the stem leading to the root and it will kill the entire plant. Personally, I've never dealt with Kudzu, but I hear it is pernicious stuff, so "kill it before it multiplies".
http://intensedebate.com/people/kylej kylej

there are other woody invasive vines that can be seen in Cranbury and points north as well, most notably Asian Bittersweet. It's also really natsy and can take over. Cutting stems and treating with roundup is the way to go as nwlk says. Just know they could still come back next year, you really need to stay on top of them to kill them permanently.

here's some pics to help identify, it looks similar to the american bittersweet: http://www.invasive.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=3…

http://intensedebate.com/people/Chris_MC Chris_MC

Just spent better part of a day removing what I believe to be Asian Bittersweet. Nasty fight and it grows like crazy too. Thanks for the link.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SecondhandRose SecondhandRose

I wish they'd do something about the rampant poison ivy that's all over town. And those grapevines that grow all over the brush and up into trees.
http://intensedebate.com/people/J1227 J1227

If its Kudzu don't expect it to disappear any time soon. It is a common plant down south that has overtaken much of the vegetation. It winds itself around phone poles vegetation . If its in this area it had to be transported …__http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu
http://intensedebate.com/people/ENW ENW

I'll have to examine these two plants peeking over and around my fence. It's starting to look like Jack himself planted them.

j
J1227

I have seen Kudzu first hand and it is a menace. If you go to the Carolina’s you will see what this can do to highways, city streets etc. It is not easy to kill and it spreads like wildfire. It climbs and intertwines with just about everything in its path. It would be a massive cost to the city and state just to keep it contained. It only shows up if it has been transported from one place to another such as if say a tourist thiks it would be great to have a sample to plant around their property not knowing that by doing so they will affect an entire town and in some cases an entire state.
http://intensedebate.com/people/J1227 J1227

I have seen Kudzu first hand and it is a menace. If you go to the Carolina's you will see what this can do to highways, city streets etc. It is not easy to kill and it spreads like wildfire. It climbs and intertwines with just about everything in its path. It would be a massive cost to the city and state just to keep it contained. It only shows up if it has been transported from one place to another such as if say a tourist thiks it would be great to have a sample to plant around their property not knowing that by doing so they will affect an entire town and in some cases an entire state.
http://intensedebate.com/people/NwlkSpectator NwlkSpectator

From what I was told by a Southern botantist when we found a Southern flowering plant growing in a Massachusetts friend's yard, the seeds are often scattered by birds who eat the fruit and later fly somewhere else before they poop and the seeds are expelled, sometimes in a new location. The other possibilities can also be that someone who was traveling in the "infested" area brought it to the new location embedded in mud on their hikers or on their equipment.

As far as the removal of the roots, I'd spray the main stalk good with Roundup and let them die. Hopefully, this isn't a resurrection plant. You could conceivably uproot them, but you run the risk of the intertwined roots of preferred healthy plant. I agree with J1227, taking them out early saves time, money and trouble all around.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/J1227 J1227

It especially grows plentiful in hot humid weather. It won't grow in areas that experience cold frigid weather regularly. Only professionals are able to remove the roots as they climb deep into the ground and wrap themselves around other plantlife. I would suggest if the plant they are seeing now as referred to as the mile-a-minute vine that someone contact southern states and ask for their help. The answer they gave "Early detection and rapid response can lessen the ecological damage. Finding populations early can make control and removal much easier, less expensive and less time-consuming.” is completely untrue. If you have friends in the Carolina's or in FL, MD, or parts of NJ etc give them a call and they will tell you how quickly this plant spreads.
http://intensedebate.com/people/HateThis HateThis

Great – as if I needed it – another reason to move to a condo and let it be somebody else's problem!