Knot Your Typical Weed

By Eric Ribbens

Abstract

Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive plant that can be very hard to eliminate. This PowerPoint-driven case study briefly describes this plant and asks students to identify possible solutions for its control when a homeowner discovers it growing next to his house. The case was designed for an introductory college course, either a general biology course or a plant biology course, and while it can be used as a regular case, it was actually written to assess the students' ability to solve a problem and write an analysis. If you teach with cases, shouldn't you test with cases as well?

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Date Posted

09/08/2015

Overview

Objectives

To test the ability of students to solve a real plant problem that they are probably not familiar with.
To better understand problems posed by invasive plant species and the difficulties involved in their control.

Keywords

Fallopia japonicum; Japanese knotweed; Polygonum cuspidatum; invasive species; weed control

Subject Headings

Biology (General)

Botany / Plant Science

Science (General)

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division

FORMAT

PDF, PowerPoint

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

LANGUAGE

English

TYPE/METHODS

Analysis (Issues)