Polygonum cuspidatum 'Variegata'
Common name: 
Variegated Polygonum
Variegated Mexican
Variegated Fallopia
Pronunciation: 
po-LI-go-num cus-pi-DA-tum
Family: 
Polygonaceae
Genus: 
Polygonum
Synonyms: 
Polygonum japonicum ‘Variegata’
Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’,
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous herbaceous perennial, to 4 ft (1.2 m) tall, spreading by underground runner indefinitely, clump forming; leaves variegated with splashes of dark green on a creamy white background, spring growth is pinkish.
  • Sun to shade.  Grows best on moist, well-drained, nutrient rich soil but tolerates adverse conditions.  The above ground parts of plants die with the first fall frost (then cut back to ground), but rhizome buds over winter just below the soil surface and form new shoots in spring.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4
  • Reportedly not as aggressive as the green-leaved species type, but I have not seen any published comparisons.  Please read about the invasive tendencies of this species, Polygonum cuspidatum   [Japanese Knotweed].
Click image to enlarge
  • emerging shoots, spring

    emerging shoots, spring

  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • leafy shoot

    leafy shoot