- Taxon
- Weed
Habitat: bank, gravel, roadside
Dispersal: Seed, vegetative
Recognition
- a large herbaceous or shrubby plant growing up to 4 m tall with a network of long-lived creeping underground stems.
- its shorter-lived upright stems are smooth, hollow, and have prominent joints that give them a slightly bamboo-like appearance.
- its relatively large leaves (up to 20 cm long and nearly as wide) are heart-shaped or egg-shaped in outline and alternately arranged.
- where the leaf stalk meets the stem there is a membranous, sheath-like, structure.
- its small whitish or greenish flowers are borne in large clusters, and male and female flowers are produced on separate plants.
- its dark brown or blackish seeds (2-4 mm long) are enclosed in a three-winged fruit.
