Flower profile

Mile-a-minute weed

Persicaria perfoliata

Mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata) is a vine in the Polygonaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states.

Introduced in the lower 48

Mile-a-minute weed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states.

13states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

13,401U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Pennsylvania: Class B noxious weed; Virginia: Tier 3 noxious weed (sale and movement restricted); Delaware: Invasive Plant List (sale and propagation prohibited)). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{PA noxious weed list 2VAC5-317-20 3 DE Admin. Code 806}

Quick look

Persicaria perfoliata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. Common names include mile-a-minute, devil's tail, giant climbing tearthumb, and Asiatic tearthumb. It is a trailing herbaceous annual vine with barbed stems and triangular leaves.
From Wikipedia's article Persicaria perfoliata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Polygonaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 13 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Delaware. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 3,319 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #58 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,832 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #44 among the 189 flowers on our Maryland list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,991 research-grade sightings of it in New Jersey, ranking #49 among the 186 flowers on our New Jersey list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (24 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Pennsylvania	Introduced	few records (10)	3,319
Maryland	Introduced	few records (5)	2,832
New Jersey	Introduced	few records (2)	1,991
Virginia	Introduced	few records (2)	1,716
Delaware	Introduced	few records (1)	284

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 5 of our 5 states.

See each state

Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Maryland. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Jersey. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Virginia. ^2VAC5-320-10
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}

Rare elsewhere

No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records mile-a-minute weed in 13 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Bucks, Butler, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Monroe, Pike, York.

New Jersey counties with USDA records: Bergen, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Union, Warren.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Ampelygonum perfoliatum.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 42 counties across 10 states; the most are in New York (10), New Jersey (9), Pennsylvania (9).

Other Persicaria on Bloomipedia (5): American jumpseed, Low smartweed, Water smartweed, Spotted lady's thumb, Pink knotweed.

More from the Polygonaceae family (21 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): California buckwheat, Japanese knotweed, Sulfur buckwheat, Desert trumpet, American bistort, Cushion buckwheat, Devil's spineflower, Parsnipflower buckwheat.

More Pennsylvania flowers

American jumpseed

Persicaria virginiana

Native

🌼 Blooms in PA: July–September

Low smartweed

Persicaria longiseta

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in PA: June–October

Japanese knotweed

Reynoutria japonica

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in PA: August–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile POPE10.
iNaturalist, Persicaria perfoliata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Persicaria perfoliata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (10):
Show all 10 state lists
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
- Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
- New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
- New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
- Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
- Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
- Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
- Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Persicaria perfoliata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: jonsense via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.