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common knotweed, curltop knotweed, curltop ladysthumb, curlytop knotweed, dock-leaf smartweed, pale smartweed, renouée à feuilles de patience, willow weed

Asian knotweed, petite renouée, pygmy smartweed, small smartweed, small water-pepper

Habit Plants annual, (0.5–)1–10 dm; roots also sometimes arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes and stolons absent. Plants annual, 0.5–3(–4) dm; roots also sometimes at from proximal nodes; rhizomes and stolons absent.
Stems

ascending to erect, simple or branched, scarcely ribbed, glabrous or, rarely, appressed-pubescent distally, sometimes glandular-punctate or stipitate-glandular distally.

decumbent or ascending, branched proximally, scarcely ribbed, glabrous or scabrous distally.

Leaves

ocrea brownish, cylindric, 4–24(–35) mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 1 mm, surface glabrous, rarely strigose, eglandular;

petiole 0.1–1.6 cm, usually strigose, sometimes glabrous;

blade sometimes with dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 4–12(–22) × (0.3–)0.5–4(–6) cm, base tapering to cuneate, margins antrorsely scabrous, apex acuminate, faces strigose on main veins, glabrous or tomentose abaxially, glandular-punctate abaxially.

ocrea brownish, cylindric, 3–10 mm, chartaceous, base not inflated, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles (0.3–)1–3(–5) mm, surface glabrous or strigose, not glandular-punctate;

petiole 0.1–0.2 cm, glabrous or strigose, leaves sometimes sessile;

blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, linear to linear-lanceolate, (1–)2–7.5(–10) × (0.2–)0.4–1(–2.3) cm, base tapered to cuneate, margins antrorsely scabrous, apex acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or sparingly strigose, especially along midveins, not glandular-punctate.

Inflorescences

mostly terminal, sometimes also axillary, mostly arching or nodding, usually uninterrupted, 30–80 × 5–12 mm;

peduncle 2–25 mm, often stipitate-glandular;

ocreolae usually overlapping, margins eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 0.4 mm.

terminal and axillary, ascending to erect, usually interrupted proximally, uninterrupted distally, 10–50 × 2–4 mm;

peduncle (0–)2–25 mm, sometimes absent on axillary inflorescences and flowers thus enclosed in ocreae, glabrous;

ocreolae not overlapping proximally, usually overlapping distally, margins ciliate with bristles (0.1–)0.6–2(–2.7) mm.

Pedicels

ascending, 0.5–2.3 mm.

ascending, 0.5–1 mm.

Flowers

4–14 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous;

perianth greenish white to pink, glabrous, not glandular-punctate or glandular-punctate with punctae mostly on tubes and inner tepals, scarcely accrescent;

tepals 4(–5), connate ca. 1/4–1/3 their length, obovate to elliptic, 2.5–3 mm, veins prominent, those of 2 or 3 outer tepals prominently bifurcate distally, anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 5–6, included;

anthers pink or red, elliptic;

styles 2(–3), connate at bases.

1–3(–4) per ocreate fascicle, homostylous;

perianth roseate to red, rarely white, glabrous, not glandular-punctate, scarcely accrescent;

tepals 5, connate ca. 1/3 their length, obovate to elliptic, 2.5–3 mm, veins not prominent, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 5(–6), included;

anthers yellow to pink, elliptic;

styles 2(–3), connate at bases.

Achenes

included or apex exserted, brown to black, discoid or, rarely, 3-gonous, 1.5–3.2 × 1.6–3 mm, shiny or dull, smooth.

included, brownish black to black, biconvex or, rarely, 3-gonous, (1.5–)1.8–2.3(– 2.7) × (1.1–)1.3–1.5(–1.8) mm, shiny, smooth.

2n

= 22.

Persicaria lapathifolia

Persicaria minor

Phenology Flowering (Apr-)Jul–Nov. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Moist places, roadsides, floodplains, waste places, cultivated fields Damp, open places
Elevation 0-1500(-1800) m (0-4900(-5900) ft) 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Mexico; South America; Africa; Greenland; Asia; Europe; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IN; LA; MA; NE; PA; VA; VT; NB; ON; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Persicaria lapathifolia is a morphologically variable complex with more than two-dozen infraspecific taxa described in the New World and Old World. An allozyme study by L. L. Consaul et al. (1991) did not support recognition of elements often referred to Polygonum lapathifolium var. salicifolium or P. scabrum, which are synonymized here. Yang J. and Wang J. W. (1991) reached a similar conclusion regarding var. salicifolium and P. nodosum based on their morphometric analysis.

The Keres, Navajo, and Potawatomi prepared medicinal infusions with Persicaria lapathifolia, and the Zuni used decoctions made from the plants as cathartic and emetic drugs (D. E. Moerman 1998).

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

Persicaria minor is synonymized with P. maculosa in most North American floras; its distribution in the flora area is poorly known. Hybrids between P. minor and P. maculosa have been documented in Europe (R. H. Roberts 1977).

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 589. FNA vol. 5, p. 593.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria
Sibling taxa
P. amphibia, P. arifolia, P. bicornis, P. bungeana, P. capitata, P. careyi, P. chinensis, P. glabra, P. hirsuta, P. hydropiper, P. hydropiperoides, 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. nepalensis, P. orientalis, P. pensylvanica, P. perfoliata, P. punctata, P. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana, P. wallichii
Synonyms Polygonum lapathifolium, Polygonum incarnatum, Polygonum lapathifolium var. ovatum, Polygonum lapathifolium var. salicifolium, Polygonum linicola, Polygonum nodosum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. oneillii, Polygonum scabrum, Polygonum tomentosum Polygonum minus, Polygonum minus var. subcontinuum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Gray: Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 270. (1822) (Hudson) Opiz: Seznam, 72. (1852)
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