Some plants are exchanged as tokens of love, some are glorified as national emblems, while some are labeled as 'invasive' or 'pest'. We hope to plant some seeds of doubt regarding the conventionally accepted botanical labels and cultural consumption of specific plants in the Netherlands, and beat around the bush for a while as we expand our focus on the contexts in which such knowledge is formed.
Let us step into the messy jungle of contested meanings, conflicting interests, political agendas surrounding plants — the rich and dense culture of nature.
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Japanse duizendknoop
Fallopia japonica
Vind meer over deze plant op Wikipedia .
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Re-cognizing Japanese Knotweed
Proposal to Proclaim Japanese Knotweed as the National Flower of the Netherlands
I search “Japanese Knotweed” on Google and the first article that pops up reads “Japanese Knotweed: How to control and remove it”. The Netherlands has been battling this beautiful and flourishing...
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Japanese Knotweed: Rethinking Invasive Species
Around the mid-1800s, botanical interests in Europe were high. Searching for beautiful unique plants around the world, for study purposes, or using them as ornamentals was common practice. So much...
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Eating the Invasive
A beautiful plant with a horrible reputation
Many believe that the Japanese knotweed is a specie that can only cause harm. This, however, is a very one-sided view on this exotic invader. In cities and gardens it might be a pain to get rid of
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The Great Japanese Knotweed
Rising from the ashes
Resilience is among many reasons to why the Japanese knotweed should be recognized as the Dutch national flower .
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Japanese Knotweed; or, The Urban Frankenstein's…
Debunking urban lores surrounding the invasive plant
The plant is often described as the destructive force of nature that strangles and suffocates metal pipes from inside out and demolishes concrete buildings. Yet, reality is far from this horror story.
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How Japanese Knotweed Came to Europe
A Mutant Ninja Plant in Leiden
Japanese knotweed, or Fallopia japonica— the most invasive plant in Europe. We now understand that water networks such as canals and climate change accelerate the propagation of Japanese knotweed via...
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Mediamatic Biotoop Branko Kleynen
Not just a Weed
Fermented Knotweed Pickles recipe
On March 25, 2020, after a scavenger hunt for Japanese Knotweed, Branko, Elise and Tommaso joined forces to pickle some shoots.
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Blog
Plant art, culture and politics
Some plants are exchanged as tokens of love, some are glorified as national emblems, while some are labeled as 'invasive' or 'pest'. We hope to plant some seeds of doubt regarding the conventionally...