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Pennsylvania smartweed, pinkweed, renouée de pennsylvanie

prickly smartweed

Habit Plants annual, 1–20 dm; roots also occasionally arising from basal nodes; rhizomes and stolons absent. Plants annual, 3–8 dm; roots not also arising from proximal nodes.
Stems

ascending to erect, simple or branched, ribbed, glabrous or appressed-pubescent distally, eglandular or stipitate-glandular distally.

ascending to erect, ribbed or obscurely so, glabrous or glandular-pubescent distally;

prickles 1–1.5 mm.

Leaves

ocrea brownish, cylindric, 5–20 mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 0.5 mm, surface glabrous or appressed-pubescent, eglandular;

petiole 0.1–2(–3) cm, glabrous or appressed-pubescent;

blade sometimes with dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 4–17(–23) × (0.5–)1–4.8 cm, base tapered to cuneate, margins antrorsely scabrous, apex acuminate, faces glabrous or appressed-pubescent, eglandular or glandular-punctate abaxially and occasionally adaxially.

ocrea brownish, cylindric, 8–14 mm, chartaceous, base inflated or not, without prickles, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles 2–4 mm, surface with appressed bristles along veins;

petiole 0.5–1.5 cm;

blade lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 5–12.5 × 1.5–3.5 cm, base acute, margins entire, antrorsely ciliate, apex acute acuminate, rarely obtuse, faces glabrous or pubescent and, usually, with antrorse prickles along midvein abaxially and adaxially.

Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, erect or rarely nodding, uninterrupted, 5–50 × 5–15 mm;

peduncle 10–55(–70) mm, glabrous or pubescent, usually stipitate-glandular;

ocreolae overlapping, margins eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 0.5 mm.

racemelike, uninterrupted or interrupted proximally, 20–45 × 5–10 mm;

peduncle 20–40 mm, usually stipitate-glandular at least proximally;

ocreolae usually overlapping, sometimes not overlapping proximally, margins eciliate.

Pedicels

ascending, 1.5–4.5 mm.

mostly ascending, 2–3 mm.

Flowers

2–14 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous;

perianth greenish white to roseate, glabrous, not glandular-punctate, accrescent;

tepals 5, connate ca. 1/4–1/3 their length, obovate to elliptic, 2.5–5 mm, veins prominent, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 6–8, included;

anthers yellow, pink, or red, elliptic;

styles 2(–3), connate at bases.

2–4 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth pale green, often tinged red, glabrous, accrescent, not becoming blue and fleshy in fruit;

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

stamens 8, filaments distinct, free;

anthers pink, ovate;

styles 2, connate to middle.

Achenes

included or apex exserted, brown to black, discoid or, rarely, 3-gonous, without central hump on 1 side, 2.1–3.4 × 1.8–3 mm, shiny, smooth.

included, black, biconvex, 2.5–3 × 2.3–2.8 mm, dull, rugose.

2n

= 88.

Persicaria pensylvanica

Persicaria bungeana

Phenology Flowering May–Dec. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Moist, disturbed places, ditches, riverbanks, cultivated fields, shorelines of ponds and reservoirs Cultivated fields
Elevation 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) 300-400 m (1000-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; South America (Ecuador); Europe (England, Spain)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IA; IL; MN; e Asia (n China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Persicaria pensylvanica is a morphologically variable allotetraploid, with P. lapathifolia probably one of the parents (L. L. Consaul et al. 1991). Three or four varieties (under Polygonum) often have been accepted in North American floras; the characters on which these are based vary greatly within and among populations. J. W. Taylor-Lehman (1987) concluded that Polygonum pensylvanicum is best treated as a polymorphic species without infraspecific taxa, based on specimens primarily from Ohio. The heterostylous Persicaria bicornis often is included in P. pensylvanica. A single chromosome count of 2n = 22 reported by Á. Löve and D. Löve (1982), which could not be confirmed by Consaul et al. because the voucher could not be found, is excluded. Flowers with three styles and trigonous achenes are produced; they are exceedingly rare and probably mostly overlooked. Several Native American tribes prepared infusions and decoctions from P. pensylvanica, which they used as drugs for humans and horses (D. E. Moerman 1998).

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

Persicaria bungeana is a weed of soybean fields (R. N. Andersen et al. 1985). It is not known how or when it was introduced into the midwestern United States.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 588. FNA vol. 5, p. 578.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Echinocaulon
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. lapathifolia, P. longiseta, P. maculosa, P. meisneriana, P. minor, P. nepalensis, P. orientalis, P. perfoliata, P. punctata, P. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana, P. wallichii
P. amphibia, P. arifolia, P. bicornis, 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 pensylvanicum, P. mississippiensis, P. pensylvanica var. dura, Polygonum omissum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. durum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. eglandulosum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. laevigatum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. nesophilum, Polygonum pensylvanicum var. rosiflorum Polygonum bungeanum
Name authority (Linnaeus) M. Gómez: Anales Inst. Segunda Enseñ. 2: 278. (1896) (Turczaninow) Nakai: in T. Mori, Enum. Pl. Corea, 131. (1922)
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