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halberd-leaf smartweed, halberd-leaf tearthumb, renouée à feuilles d'arum

pink smartweed

Habit Plants annual, 2–15 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes. Plants annual, 2–18 dm; roots also rarely arising from basal nodes; rhizomes and stolons absent.
Stems

scandent, ribbed, glabrous;

prickles 0.5–1 mm.

ascending to erect, rarely decumbent, branched, ribbed, glabrous or appressed-pubescent to spreading-pubescent distally, stipitate-glandular or, rarely, without stipitate-glands.

Leaves

ocrea tan or brownish, cylindric, 8–15 mm, chartaceous, base inflated or not, with prickles, margins oblique, ciliate with bristles 0.5–2.5 mm, surface glabrous or appressed- to spreading-pubescent;

petiole 1–7 cm;

blade broadly hastate to hastate-cordate or triangular, (2–)6.5–13(–18) × (1–)6–11(–16) cm, base truncate to truncate-cordate, margins broadly hastate with lobes divergent, ciliate, sometimes also retrorsely prickly, apex acuminate, faces appressed-pubescent or, rarely, glabrous adaxially, stellate-pubescent or, rarely, glabrous abaxially, major veins often bearing prickles.

ocrea brownish, cylindric, 6–20 mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 1 mm, surface glabrous or scabrous proximally, eglandular;

petiole 0.1–1.5(–2.3) cm, glabrous or appressed-pubescent;

blade sometimes with dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, linear-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.3–13(–18) × (0.4–)1–2.3 cm, base tapered to cuneate, margins antrorsely scabrous, apex acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or appressed-pubescent along midveins, glandular-punctate abaxially.

Inflorescences

capitate or paniclelike, uninterrupted, 5–12 × 3–8 mm;

peduncle 10–80 mm, retrorsely prickly proximally, stellate-pubescent and stipitate-glandular distally, glands red or pink;

ocreolae usually overlapping, sometimes not overlapping proximally, margins eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 0.5 mm.

terminal and axillary, erect, uninterrupted, 8–60 × 10–18 mm;

peduncle 8–60(–70) mm, glabrous or pubescent, usually stipitate-glandular;

ocreolae overlapping, margins eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 0.8 mm.

Pedicels

mostly ascending, 2–3 mm.

ascending, 1.5–5 mm.

Flowers

2–4 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth pink or red, often whitish green proximally, glabrous, accrescent, not becoming blue and fleshy in fruit;

tepals 4, connate 1/3–1/2 their length, broadly elliptic, 5–6 mm, apex acute to obtuse;

stamens (6–)8, filaments distinct, free;

anthers pink, elliptic;

styles 2, distinct.

2–11 per ocreate fascicle, heterostylous;

perianth pink, glabrous, not glandular-punctate, accrescent;

tepals 5, connate ca. 1/4–1/3 their length, obovate to elliptic, 3–4.6 mm, veins prominent, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 6–8, included or exserted;

anthers pink or red, elliptic;

styles 2(–3), included or exserted, connate at bases.

Achenes

included, dark brown to black, biconvex, 3.5–6 × 3–4 mm, shiny, smooth.

included or apex exserted, brownish black to black, discoid or, rarely, 3-gonous, 1 side usually slightly concave and other with central hump, (2–)2.2–2.9 × 2–2.8(–3) mm, shiny, smooth.

Persicaria arifolia

Persicaria bicornis

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Shaded swamps, ponds, tidal marshes along rivers, wet ravines in forests Moist, disturbed places, permanent and ephemeral wetlands, ditches, cultivated fields, shorelines of ponds and reservoirs
Elevation 0-600 m (0-2000 ft) 50-1600 m (200-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; IA; IL; KS; LA; MO; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Persicaria bicornis is a characteristic smartweed of permanent and ephemeral wetlands and moist, disturbed sites in the Great Plains. It often has been included in P. pensylvanica but can be distinguished readily by its heterostylous flowers. The achenes, which usually bear an obscure or prominent hump in the center of one face, also are diagnostic. This hump often ruptures the side of the perianth on fruiting herbarium specimens. Persicaria bicornis also has leaf blades that are on average narrower than are those of P. pensylvanica, and populations exhibit less variation in perianth color. As in P. pensylvanica, flowers with three styles and trigonous achenes are produced very rarely.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 577. FNA vol. 5, p. 589.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Echinocaulon Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria
Sibling taxa
P. amphibia, P. bicornis, P. bungeana, P. capitata, P. careyi, P. chinensis, P. glabra, P. hirsuta, P. hydropiper, P. hydropiperoides, P. lapathifolia, P. longiseta, P. maculosa, P. meisneriana, P. minor, P. nepalensis, P. orientalis, P. pensylvanica, P. perfoliata, P. punctata, P. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana, P. wallichii
P. amphibia, P. arifolia, P. bungeana, P. capitata, P. careyi, P. chinensis, P. glabra, P. hirsuta, P. hydropiper, P. hydropiperoides, P. lapathifolia, P. longiseta, P. maculosa, P. meisneriana, P. minor, P. nepalensis, P. orientalis, P. pensylvanica, P. perfoliata, P. punctata, P. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana, P. wallichii
Synonyms Polygonum arifolium, Polygonum arifolium var. lentiforme, Polygonum arifolium var. pubescens, Polygonum sagittatum var. pubescens, Tracaulon arifolium, Truellum arifolium Polygonum bicorne, P. longistyla, Polygonum longistylum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Haraldson: Acta Univ. Upsal., Symb. Bot. Upsal. 22: 72. (1978) (Rafinesque) Nieuwland: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 201. (1914)
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