Asian Jumpseed (Persicaria filiformis (Thunb.) Nakai)
Also known as Japanese jumpseed.
This species is sometimes treated as a variety of jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana), var. filiformis. Although all modern authorities separate the species, the commercial nursery industry has been slow to update their names and often sells this species under the name Persicaria virginiana, leading people to wrongly believe it is native to Eastern North America.
↑Summary
A rhizomatous perennial whose cultivars are frequently planted in gardens and can escape in the wild; at risk of becoming invasive in Eastern North America.
↑Similar Plants
↑Habitat
The exact habitat preferences of this species in North America are not known, but it seems to inhabit similar habitats to the native jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana), particularly preferring moisture conditions ranging from wet to slightly dry, but growing best in moist soil, and preferring light or partial shade.
↑Uses
This species is widely planted in landscaping, typically as the variegated 'Painter's palette' cultivar, and less commonly as other cultivars including 'Variegata', 'Bat Wings' (yellowish leaves with bold red splotches) and 'Lance Corporal' (green with bold v-shaped splotches) or 'Compton's Red'. It self-seeds prolifically, and the seedlings will revert back to the more vigorous wild form in a few generations, leading it to become invasive.
We recommend against planting this anywhere in North America, and against doing business with any nursery selling it.
↑Links & External Resources
• Persicaria filiformis (Thunb.) Nakai | Plants of the World Online (POWO) (About This Site)
• Asian Jumpseed | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Persicaria filiformis (Thunb.) Nakai (Japanese Jumpseed) | Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (About This Site)
↑Photo gallery
