Persicaria punctata |
Persicaria robustior |
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dotted knotweed, dotted smartweed, renouée ponctuée, water smartweed |
r enouée robuste, stout dotted smartweed, stout smartweed |
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Habit | Plants annual or perennial, 1.5–12 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes often present. | Plants perennial, 3–20 dm; roots also sometimes arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes present, stolons sometimes present. |
Stems | ascending to erect, branched, without noticeable ribs, glabrous, glandular-punctate. |
ascending, usually branched proximally, scarcely ribbed, glabrous, glandular-punctate; branches sometimes creeping and rooting at nodes. |
Leaves | ocrea brown, cylindric, (4–)9–18 mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles 2–11 mm, surface glabrous or strigose, glandular-punctate; petiole 0.1–1 cm, glandular-punctate, leaves sometimes sessile; blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate or subrhombic, 4–10(–15) × 0.6–2.4 cm, base tapered or cuneate, margins antrorsely strigose, apex acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or scabrous along midveins, glandular-punctate. |
ocrea light brown, cylindric, 10–15 mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles 3–12 mm, surface strigose, glandular-punctate; petiole 0.2–2 cm, glandular-punctate; blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 4–20 × 2–4.5 cm, base tapered, margins antrorsely strigose, apex acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or main veins scabrous, glandular-punctate. |
Inflorescences | mostly terminal, sometimes also axillary, erect, interrupted, 50–200 × 4–8 mm; peduncle 30–60 mm, glabrous, glandular-punctate; ocreolae mostly not overlapping, margins mostly ciliate with bristles to 2 mm. |
terminal and axillary, erect, uninterrupted, 20–80 × 5–10 mm; peduncle 5–40 mm, glandular-punctate; ocreolae usually overlapping, margins eciliate or proximal ones sometimes ciliate with bristles to 1 mm. |
Pedicels | ascending, 1–4 mm. |
ascending to spreading, 2–5 mm. |
Flowers | 2–6 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous; perianth greenish proximally, white distally, rarely tinged pink, glandular-punctate with punctae ± uniformly distributed, scarcely accrescent; tepals 5, connate ca. 1/3 their length, obovate, 3–3.5 mm, veins prominent or not, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded; stamens 6–8, included; anthers pink or red, elliptic to ovate; styles 2–3, connate proximally. |
2–4 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous; perianth greenish proximally, white distally, glandular-punctate with punctae ± uniformly distributed, slightly accrescent; tepals 5, connate ca.1/3 their length, obovate, 3.2–4.2 mm, veins prominent or not, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded; stamens 6–8, included; anthers pink or red, elliptic; styles 3, connate proximally. |
Achenes | included or apex exserted, brownish black, usually 3-gonous, rarely biconvex, (1.8–)2.2–3.2 × 1.5–2.2 mm, shiny, smooth. |
included or apex exserted, dark brown to brownish black, 3-gonous, 2.7–3.6 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny, smooth. |
2n | = 44. |
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Persicaria punctata |
Persicaria robustior |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Nov. | Flowering Jul–Oct. |
Habitat | Shallow water, shores, marshes, floodplain forests | Peaty shores, often in water on coastal plain or near coast |
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) |
Distribution |
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; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; HI; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Mexico; West Indies (Puerto Rico); Central America (Guatemala); South America (Brazil)
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CT; DE; FL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TX; VA; NS; ON; QC; Central America; South America; West Indies
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Discussion | N. C. Fassett (1949) proposed a complicated classification for Persicaria punctata with 12 varieties in North America and South America. He also identified numerous specimens that he considered to be morphologically intermediate between various varieties. M. Dalci (1972) documented a wide range of phenotypic and genotypic variation throughout the range of P. punctata and extensive overlap in many of the features used by Fassett to distinguish varieties. Consequently, recognition of varieties does not seem warranted. Persicaria punctata and its close relatives P. robustior and P. glabra are unique among native North American smartweeds in possessing complex glands called valvate chambers in their epidermises. Persicaria punctata is confused most frequently with P. hydropiper; the achenes are diagnostic. The Chippewa, Houma, and Iroquois prepared decoctions from leaves, flowers, and roots for use as analgesics as well as gastrointestinal, orthopedic, and psychological aids (D. E. Moerman 1998). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Persicaria robustior often is synonymized with P. punctata. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 586. | FNA vol. 5, p. 584. |
Parent taxa | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Persicaria |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Polygonum punctatum, Polygonum acre var. leptostachyum, Polygonum punctatum var. confertiflorum, Polygonum punctatum var. ellipticum, Polygonum punctatum var. leptostachyum, Polygonum punctatum var. parviflorum, Polygonum punctatum var. parvum | Polygonum punctatum var. robustius, P. punctata var. robustior, Polygonum punctatum var. majus, Polygonum robustius |
Name authority | (Elliott) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 379. (1903) | (Small) E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 36: 455. (1909) |
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