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

jumpseed, renouée de virginie

Habit Plants annual, 2–15 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes. Plants perennial, 4.5–6(–13) dm; rhizomatous.
Stems

scandent, ribbed, glabrous;

prickles 0.5–1 mm.

ribbed, glabrous or strigose.

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 hyaline, cylindric, 10–20 mm, base inflated or not, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles 0.5–4 mm, surface strigose to tomentose;

petiole (0.1–)1–2 cm, leaves sometimes sessile;

blade 5–17.5 × 2–10 cm, apex acute to acuminate, faces pubescent abaxially, strigose and scabrous adaxially.

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.

(50–)100–350 × 7–15 mm;

peduncle 10–70 mm, pubescent or glabrous distally;

ocreolae not overlapping, margins ciliate with bristles to 3 mm.

Pedicels

mostly ascending, 2–3 mm.

ascending to spreading, 0.5–1 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.

1–3 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth white, greenish white, or rarely pink, glabrous, accrescent;

tepals elliptic to obovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

filaments distinct, outer ones sometimes adnate to perianth tube;

anthers yellow or pink, ovate;

styles distinct.

Achenes

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

included except for apex and styles, brown to dark brown, biconvex, 3.5–4 × 2–2.8 mm, dull to shiny, smooth to rugose.

2n

= 44.

Persicaria arifolia

Persicaria virginiana

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Shaded swamps, ponds, tidal marshes along rivers, wet ravines in forests Rich deciduous forests, floodplain forests, dry woodlands, thickets
Elevation 0-600 m (0-2000 ft) 0-500 m (0-1600 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
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON; QC; c Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Tension in the articulation of the pedicels is sufficient to throw mature achenes 3–4 m when the inflorescence is bumped, and the persistent, hooked styles aid in the dispersal of achenes in the fur of animals (H. S. Reed and I. Smoot 1906). A hot infusion of leaves with bark of honey-locust (Gleditsia triacanthos Linnaeus) was used by the Cherokee to treat whooping cough (D. E. Moerman 1998).

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 577. FNA vol. 5, p. 575.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Echinocaulon Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Tovara
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. 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. wallichii
Synonyms Polygonum arifolium, Polygonum arifolium var. lentiforme, Polygonum arifolium var. pubescens, Polygonum sagittatum var. pubescens, Tracaulon arifolium, Truellum arifolium Polygonum virginianum, Antenoron virginianum, Tovara virginiana
Name authority (Linnaeus) Haraldson: Acta Univ. Upsal., Symb. Bot. Upsal. 22: 72. (1978) (Linnaeus) Gaertner: Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 180. (1790)
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