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Identifying a weed vine #582471

Asked July 22, 2019, 2:07 PM EDT

Do you know what the vine below is called? It gets very tiny flowers and comes back every year.

Oakland County Michigan

Expert Response

I believe this is wild buckwheat. Wild buckwheat (Fallopia convolvulus, formerly Polygonum convolvulus) is an annual plant that is not native to Michigan. It germinates in the spring and reproduces by seed. The leaves of wild buckwheat are alternate and appear heart-shaped and are pointed at the tip. Wild buckwheat also has an ocrea (membraneous sheath) around the stem where each petiole connects, a characteristic of plants in the Polygonaceae family. The flowers of wild buckwheat are clustered on short stalks (racemes) and are generally green-white.
Erin Hill, PhD Replied July 22, 2019, 4:23 PM EDT

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