The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

r enouée robuste, stout dotted smartweed, stout smartweed

dotted knotweed, dotted smartweed, renouée ponctuée, water smartweed

Habit Plants perennial, 3–20 dm; roots also sometimes arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes present, stolons sometimes present. Plants annual or perennial, 1.5–12 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes often present.
Stems

ascending, usually branched proximally, scarcely ribbed, glabrous, glandular-punctate;

branches sometimes creeping and rooting at nodes.

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

Leaves

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.

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.

Inflorescences

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.

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.

Pedicels

ascending to spreading, 2–5 mm.

ascending, 1–4 mm.

Flowers

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.

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.

Achenes

included or apex exserted, dark brown to brownish black, 3-gonous, 2.7–3.6 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny, smooth.

included or apex exserted, brownish black, usually 3-gonous, rarely biconvex, (1.8–)2.2–3.2 × 1.5–2.2 mm, shiny, smooth.

2n

= 44.

Persicaria robustior

Persicaria punctata

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct. Flowering Jun–Nov.
Habitat Peaty shores, often in water on coastal plain or near coast Shallow water, shores, marshes, floodplain forests
Elevation 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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]
Discussion

Persicaria robustior often is synonymized with P. punctata.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 584. FNA vol. 5, p. 586.
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. punctata, 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. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana, P. wallichii
Synonyms Polygonum punctatum var. robustius, P. punctata var. robustior, Polygonum punctatum var. majus, Polygonum robustius 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
Name authority (Small) E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 36: 455. (1909) (Elliott) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 379. (1903)
Web links