Fallopia japonica typical to see much smaller plants in places where they sprout through cracks in the pavement or are repeatedly cut down. The leaves are broad oval with a truncated base, long and broad, with an entire margin. The flowers are small, cream or white, produced in erect racemes long in late summer and early autumn. Closely related species include giant knotweed ("Fallopia sachalinensis", syn. "Polygonum sachalinense") and Russian vine ("Fallopia baldschuanica", "Polygonum baldschuanicum"). Other English names for Japanese knotweed include fleeceflower, Himalayan fleece vine, monkeyweed, monkey fungus, Hancock's curse, elephant ears, pea shooters, donkey rhubarb (although it is not a
Forest disturbance by invasive insects and diseases in the United States was spread by elm bark beetles, yet the tree mortality was caused by a pathogen. Chestnut blight is a fungus spread through wind dispersal and rain splatter; the blight traveled up to 50 miles in a year by natural means. Insect pests, once they reach the adult phase, have the ability to disperse by flight. Emerald ash borer beetles can travel over seven kilometers per day. Asian long-horned beetle, however, usually stays with the tree it matured on, maintaining localized natural spread. Human-assisted spread can cause invasive insects or pathogens to "jump" to new and often distant locations. The transported