knotweed

American  

[not-weed] / ˈnɒtˌwid /

noun

1. any of several knotty-stemmed plants belonging to the genus Polygonum, of the buckwheat family.

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knotweed British  

/ ˈnɒtˌwiːd /

noun

1. any of several polygonaceous plants of the genus Polygonum, having small flowers and jointed stems

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Etymology

Origin of knotweed

First recorded in 1570–80; knot ¹ + weed ¹

Example Sentences

His body was found in a dense patch of Japanese Knotweed between the bottom of the garden and a rugby and cricket club.

From BBC

"Our first priority is that our 72 MPs become like Japanese knotweed, you can't unroot them – why would you not do that? If all the MPs scurried off and immediately do stuff in Westminster and weren't paying attention to the church roofs, then that wouldn't work," says one MP.

From BBC

The Money squad discusses the Chase infinite money TikTok craze, the “founder mode” craze, and the menace of Japanese knotweed.

From Slate

And what’s Japanese knotweed, and why is it destroying Elizabeth’s house?

From Slate

Dr. Robert C. Venette, a research biologist and director of the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center, is paying close attention to multiple invasive species, including "several bark beetles, emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, hemlock wooly adelgid, oak wilt, Palmer amaranth and Japanese knotweed, among others."

From Salon