Thomas Hogg Introduced Japanese Knotweed to New York in 1860s

Photo: HT World

In the 1860s, Thomas Hogg, appointed U.S. marshal to Japan by President Abraham Lincoln, sent Japanese knotweed plants to his brother James's nursery in Manhattan's Yorkville. Research by Harvard's Peter Del Tredici shows the plant arrived in North America through multiple introductions, including the Hoggs' direct shipment. By the late 1860s, the ornamental plant had become a notable species, later recognized as a serious pest.

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