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dotted knotweed, dotted smartweed, renouée ponctuée, water smartweed

bristly lady's-thumb, oriental lady's thumb, oriental lady's-thumb smartweed

Habit Plants annual or perennial, 1.5–12 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes often present. Plants annual, 3–8 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes and stolons absent.
Stems

ascending to erect, branched, without noticeable ribs, glabrous, glandular-punctate.

decumbent to ascending, branched, without noticeable ribs, glabrous.

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 hyaline to brownish, cylindric, 5–12 mm, chartaceous, base sometimes inflated, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles 4–12 mm, surface glabrous or strigose, not glandular-punctate;

petiole 0.1–0.3(–0.6) cm, glabrous, leaves sometimes sessile;

blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 2–8 × 1–3 cm, base tapering to cuneate, margins antrorsely strigose, apex acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or sparingly strigose along veins abaxially, glabrous or strigose along midvein and margins adaxially, not 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, sometimes also axillary, erect, uninterrupted, 10–40(–80) × 3–7 mm;

peduncle 10–50 mm, glabrous;

ocreolae overlapping, margins ciliate with bristles (0.5–)1–4(–6) mm.

Pedicels

ascending, 1–4 mm.

ascending, 1–2 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.

1–5 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous;

perianth pinkish green proximally, roseate distally, glabrous, not glandular-punctate, scarcely accrescent;

tepals 5, connate ca. 1/3 their length, obovate, 2.2–2.8 mm, veins not prominent, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 5, included;

anthers yellow, elliptic to ovate;

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, dark brown to black, 3-gonous, 1.6–2.3 × 1.1–1.6 mm, shiny, smooth.

2n

= 44.

Persicaria punctata

Persicaria longiseta

Phenology Flowering Jun–Nov. Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Shallow water, shores, marshes, floodplain forests Floodplain forests and woodlands, shorelines of ponds, moist roadsides, waste places
Elevation 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) 0-300 m (0-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; ON; e Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 longiseta is morphologically similar to another Asian species, P. posumbu (Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don) H. Gross (= P. caespitosa). Its spread in the United States since its introduction near Philadelphia in 1910 was summarized by A. K. Paterson (2000).

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 586. FNA vol. 5, p. 592.
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. lapathifolia, P. longiseta, P. maculosa, P. meisneriana, P. minor, P. nepalensis, P. orientalis, P. pensylvanica, P. perfoliata, 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. 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 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 longisetum, P. caespitosa var. longiseta, Polygonum caespitosum var. longisetum
Name authority (Elliott) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 379. (1903) (Bruijn) Kitagawa: Rep. Inst. Sci. Res. Manchoukuo 1: 322. (1937)
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