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Monday - April 11, 2011

From: Omaha, NE
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Eliminating invasive, non-native chameleon plant from Omaha NE
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have been attempting to eradicate the chameleon plant in my gardens for 3 years. I have sprayed Round Up and covered with newspaper then mulch and it is coming back again this year! I am wondering if I could use the same chemical that is used to eradicate net sedge grass. I believe this chemical travels to the base of the plant and kills its root system. Thanks in advance for your help!

ANSWER:

All right, you already know that Houttuynia cordata, Chameleon Plant is invasive. Did you also know that it is native to Japan, Korea and southeast Asia? The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the areas in which those plants grow natively. This situation is one of the reasons why we pursue that policy; a non-native plant brought into an area where it has no natural competitors or predators will quickly overrun the more adapted native plants and become very settled into its new environment. Since it is non-native, we will have no information on it in our Native Plant Database, but we found two websites that have some information that might help you:

Garden Web Forum Houttuynia cordata

Ohio State University Houttuynia cordata

Dave's Garden forum (note all the negative comments)

Because it spreads by underground rhizomes, it is very resistant to any herbicides. You need to dig out the rhizomes, and keep digging out the rhizomes, and then dig out some more rhizomes.