These plants, which are invading all of Europe, are being given a second life in Montpellier.

NATURE – Japanese knotweed or Provence cane: these ornamental plants are invading almost all of Europe. But in Montpellier, in Claude Grison's laboratory, they are being harnessed for the benefit of the environment and the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

These exotic plants have the ability to clean up water and mining soil by absorbing heavy metals. Plants such as Provence cane "proliferate uncontrollably in wetlands," says Claude Grison. The latter is also highly flammable and acts as a conductor for the fires that are multiplying in the south of France.

LeHuffPost
, June 22, 2022