Houttuynia

This one is exceptionally difficult to remove permanently. Someone put a few plants of it in our church garden. It can be so invasive that as soon as I saw it I rogued every bit of it out that I could find. Yet even after 3 years, some of it still comes back. It appears that even a tiny piece of the root is able to put up new shoots. It's a pretty plant for a very few certain situations, I suppose, but in too many instances, it will try to take over. Not only that, but unless it has a great deal of sun, it tends to revert to a plain green leaf, instead of the red/green/yellow leaf, and then it is of not use at all. For my part, I will always find something else to plant other than Houttuynia.

I have a creeper that has invaded my clematis and my lawn and will post a photo of it soon, as I'd like to know what it is and how, if possible, to get rid of it.

Thanks!

If people think Houttuynia cordata is bad to get rid of as a terrestrial, try to get rid of it a marginal. Nasty nasty nasty! Where's your photo of your creeper?

E, what is "a marginal"?

There are basically three types. Aquatic (plants with submersed or floating growth habits, amphibious, but can be emergent), terrestrial (self explanatory), and marginal (submergent, emergent, and sometimes can be amphibious). Much arguing going on about submergent and even some amphibious plants being included as marginal species. I'd tend to place emergents in with marginals because they are growing in shallow water and are all anchored to the bottom by rhizomes or roots. I'd leave amphibious in the aquatic category even though they are quite capable of surviving quite nicely when waters recede temporarily. I guess to me, it would depend on where the species is growing to best be able to classify an emergent or amphibious species as either aquatic or marginal.

Think Cattails and Sagittaria (emergents) and you can see where there can be some issues in classifying them properly at times.

And then there are wetland species. Most wetland species don't fit neatly into any of the above categories because they occur in environments that are saturated for only a portion of the growing season. Wetland species are by far my favorite. Needless to say, when a species like Chamleon plant gets loose in a wetland... big trouble eradicating it.

I don't mean to get too technical but Chameleon Plant is a particularly nasty invasive because it displays a wide-range of ecological amplitude in that it is often capable of growing in either wet or dry conditions.

I hope joepyeweed sees your question and comments. Joe may have another definition of marginal for you that differs from mine.

i had to look it up, gooberpie. Condolences. It sounds much worse than my vinca and ivy.

This is the NASTIEST plant ever! It came into my garden and I cannot dig fast enough. I heard Round Up will kill it, but then, there goes the surrounding plants as well. Chameleon grows faster than my mint!

Recommendation: NEVER grow it anywhere unless you actually want a carefree, don't have to every garden yard.

i'd "hyperlink" to a picture of it, but, alas, I don't know how to do that. There is a thread (plants you hate) and it's in that thread.

I am no botanist - but plant terms that seem to generalize most plants are terrestrial, aquatic, epiphytic, lithophytic, and parasitic. (feel free to look those up on your own.)

Most wetland plants can survive in both terrestrial and aquatic conditions. They have adapted to naturally fluctuating water levels. Typically, wetland plants are categorized by the zone that they are "most likely" to be found in: Upland, shoreland, emergent... sometimes referred to as upland, upper shore and lower shore...

I am not real familar with the term marginal. I've heard it used sometimes used as the term for upper shoreland plants... The thing about the zones is that even though a plant may be catergorized as upland species - it may be found in any zone... however a plant categorized as lower shoreline is rarely found in the higher zones. So I believe the term marginal, frequently refers to upper shoreline plants that can easily grow in any zone - meaning it does not seem to have a preference for wet or dry. .

When it comes to controlling invasive or undesirable species in wetlands - sometimes we artificially lower or raise water levels to deter certain species from thriving. A marginal plant, that can grow in any zone - is not going to be effected by simple water level changes...

Hopefully this is more helpful and not more confusing...

http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/plants/npg/NPG-plantzone.html

Wasn't even thinking of lichen, orchids, or dodders. I'd like to learn more about parasitic plants.

Nice zone schematic.

Parasitic plants are interesting because most of them don't do photosynthesis - so they are not green. They take their nutrients from other plants. I really don't know much about them.

The only plant that I have seen in real life that might fall into the classification of parasitic is monotropa uniflora. Though I just looked it up and its referred to as an epiparasite - as an indirect parasite or myco-heterotroph.

I wish that zone schematic used the terms shoreline and emergent rather than upper and lower. Just to be more in conformance with commonly used nomenclature. I've heard that some gov't agency (NIPC/NRCS?) is updating / redoing the Illinois Native Plant guide.

I'd like to take a class on parasitic plants but (sigh) doesn't seem to be enough interest out there.

Here's a nice introduction that I should probably take the time to digest-
http://www.apsnet.org/education/IntroPlantPath/PathogenGroups/Parasiticplants/

There is an International Parasitic Plant Society out there that I found-
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/IPPS/

Is this the Chameleon/Houttuynia Plant you're talking about??? I planted mine because I think the leaves are beautiful and colorful (when they get enough sun). I'm barely keeping it alive. Very sparse. I would not mind almost anything being invasive at my house as long as it wasn't poison ivy or briar weeds. ~~~ Carol

There are variegated forms of Houttuynia cordata. What you have posted a photo of seens different than the Houttuynia cordata I've seen for sale around here. Would you be able to post a photo with some close ups over in the plant identification forum? Looks as if whatever your plant is that it is doing well enough. Who knows, a couple of mild summers and some decent rains and perhaps it may even spread more than it already has for you if that's what you want. Houttuynia is a creeper and that's for sure. Those stolons can really take off and travel. If your yard isn't all that hospitable and you've got Houttuynia, birds and bees will pollinate it and the seed germinates quite easily even under considerably less than ideal circumstances so maybe it will take root on its own and do better elsewhere on your property.

If you have a challenging site, maybe you might want to consider contacting someone at one of these organizations for suggestions of what plants might do best for you-
http://www.txnativeplants.org/
http://www.npsot.org/

Thanks, I'll definitely check out those web links. It looked much better during the first few months of spring. Really lush and pretty. Now it just looks like it's hanging on by a thread. I'll post a pic over in identification and see what they say.

Terrible plant! It took over a bed of mixed perennials and small shrubs. Laughed at repeat applications of Roundup. We dug up all the Houttuynia and every other plant in the bed last year and have been pulling out bits and pieces of sprouting roots ever since. We are now digging up and sifting the soil in a last ditch effort to be able to replant the area this fall.

My Houttuynia is gone gone gone! Took three years. First I dug down wherever possible to follow and pull up as many roots as I could. The biggest roots seemed to be down about 12 to 15 inches. Then it was just nearly endless repeats of Roundup. Spray Roundup immediately when new leaves just fully unfurl and repeat the Roundup in 24 hours. When new leaves reappear again hit it with Roundup and repeat in 24 hours. The leaves were smaller and smaller each time until this year - NOTHING! I think it was just exhausted by trying to put out new leaves without ever getting to photosynthesize. You have to stay on top of it and be vigilant. Don't let the new leaves nourish the roots.

I should clarify - the purpose of the repeat applications of Roundup were to completely kill the leaves. One is not enough to kill the leaves.

This message was edited Jul 26, 2007 10:08 PM

Thanks for the encouragement! We decided not to use any more Roundup because all we have now are tiny little bits of root that we pull out as soon as we see the first sign of a leaf. The bed is on the way to the mailbox, so it gets checked daily. We do have rocks bordering the bed where it abuts the edge of the driveway and we have lifted them to sift through the soil for roots.

Oh, that's good. You'll get it out of there. It just takes a ton of tenacity. It doesn't matter what kills the tiny new leaves as long as they are not on the plant long enough to nourish the root. Basically I think you just exhaust and starve any reserves the roots have. Mine was tangled up in a 20 x 10 perennial bed. You know how that stuff is. It was coming up through everything. It was a daily safari through the plants looking for new shoots. I still check but I havn't seen one leaf this year. I thought I had it licked by fall of 2005, but there were still some tiny stragglers that managed to show up spring 2006. They were gone in about 6 weeks. This year nuttin! Stay on top of it!

Wow, congratulations and thanks for the encouraging words re getting rid of this monster! It has ruined two sections of my garden. The one area is bordered by a cedar hedge and it runs under the hedge and makes it impossible to use roundup. I've done repeat digging in the garden area trying to get up all the roots for several years now. Doesn't it ever stink!!! Any suggestions on getting it out of the hedge? As you know cedar roots run very close to the top of the soil so digging it up in this area is difficult.

It's taught me a lesson though. I don't plant anything that I haven't thoroughly researched now. I was on another gardening forum and someone proudly posted a picture of their new plant....yep that's right. lol I replied, "Don't wait even one second. Pull it out now!!!!"

You will just have to painstakingly individually paint each leaf with Roundup, while propping the Cedar out of the way until the liquid dries. Repeat 24 hrs later. It works. But oh my heavens the work and effort that takes. But it does work. I used an artists paintbrush in some hard to get to places. The leaves crisp brown after the repeat application. Then, depending on how extensive the underground root system is, the plant puts up new leaves, only smaller. Then you go after it again. And again. You will notice that the new leaves are smaller and fewer because you are not giving the plant roots any time to replenish. I eradicated it from under hostas, daylilies, peonies, foxgloves, an evergreen and other assorted garden desirables withou losing a wanted plant. The trick is to get EVERY leaf. Leave no leaves that will make food for the darn stuff. Eventually the roots have no stored energy, no leaves to make any stored energy and the plant dies.GO GET IT!

That's what I thought. I meet you back here next year and let you know how I made out. lol At least now I know there's hope.

I was looking for plants for my spring fed pond years ago and one nursery
recommended houttuynia. When I asked if that wasn't invasive, he said no.
I thought otherwise, and didn't buy it. Thank goodness I remembered reading
about it! I no longer trusted that nursery (it was the owner that told me this).