Nearly two decades ago, some landscape gardeners had imported Mikania micrantha, which is known as bitter vine, American rope or Chinese creeper, from Central and South America. Due to its reproductive capacity, the plant quickly spread across Taiwan. Its vines climb trunks and cover foliage, keeping sunlight from trees, which inhibits photosynthesis and causes trees to wither. Bitter vine is known in some countries as the “mile-a-minute weed.” It has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien plant species. Despite the pretty white flowers that grow on