Bindweed is the plant most often mistaken for Japanese knotweed. Both have heart-shaped leaves, but they grow in very different ways.
The stem test
Knotweed stands on its own hollow, bamboo-like stems with purple speckles and visible nodes. Bindweed has thin, soft stems that twine around fences and other plants.
The leaf test
Knotweed leaves have a flat base and alternate along the stem in a zig-zag. Bindweed leaves are arrow-shaped with pointed lobes at the base.
Still unsure?
Send us a photo of the whole plant, a leaf and a stem. It is free, and if it is bindweed you can deal with it yourself.