I want to see someone try this on Japanese Knotweed. My Father's yard (and unless I do something about it, my yard also) is full of the stuff. It grows like a... well, a weed.
Back in the day, I've gone so far as to pour hot oil from a fryer on it. It wilts, those few stalks die, and it just grows up a few days later, right in the same spot.
I've dug a 6 foot deep hole in the ground... the root structure is like hair, first of all. Secondly, the hearty roots start out as a knot about a foot in circumference... 6 feet down, it's a foot in circumference. I stopped digging there.
If the stuff had a real use, I'd love to keep it, but other than goat/sheep food, it's completely worthless, other than that it burns extremely hot. It's difficult to light off, though, so it doesn't even make a good fire starter for warming the house! Well, that's a lie. If you use an aggressive accelerant, it will light off rather easily. It won't always stay burning, though.
In the Vernus (Spring) you can actually break sections off and there is a good amount of water in each section. It sucks it up and keeps it stored. It's all over Northern Pennsylvania.
It has small flowers that bloom on it during the Vernus, they're white, and about 1-2mm per bud. Honey bees love them, but I'm not sure if they serve a purpose in the existence of the species, since any part of the plant will re-grow into another plant, so it seems.
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