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garden knotweed, garden smartweed, Himalayan knotweed, Kashmir plume

Photo is of parent taxon

cultivated knotweed, Himalayan knotweed

Habit Herbs, perennial, sometimes suffrutescent, 7–12(–25) dm; roots not also arising from proximal nodes; rhizomes present.
Stems

ribbed, glabrous or densely pubescent.

Leaves

ocrea reddish brown, cylindric, 10–40 mm, base inflated, surface glabrous or densely pubescent;

petiole 0.3–2(–3) cm, glabrous or densely pubescent;

blade (7.5–)9–22(–27) × 2.8–7.8 cm, base cordate to truncate, margins ciliate, apex acuminate to caudate-acuminate, faces pubescent abaxially, glabrous or pubescent adaxially.

Inflorescences

40–110 × 10–55 mm;

peduncle 10–80 mm, glabrous or pubescent;

ocreolae not overlapping, margins eciliate.

Pedicels

ascending to spreading, 1–4 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

3–9 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth white or pinkish, often with scattered reddish glands, glabrous, nonaccrescent;

tepals oblong to obovate, dimorphic, outer 3 larger than inner 2, 2.2–3.8 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

filaments inserted at bases of tepals, distinct, glabrous;

anthers red to purple, ovate;

styles distinct.

Achenes

included, brown, 3-gonous, 2.1–2.5 × 1.3–1.8 mm, dull, minutely roughened.

2n

= 22.

Persicaria wallichii

Persicaria wallichii var. wallichii

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Moist disturbed places, marshes
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; MA; OR; BC; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; MA; OR; BC; SPM; Asia (Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Tibet) [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

Persicaria wallichii is an ornamental that escapes infrequently in the flora area. A population in Nova Scotia apparently was ephemeral. Plants with leaf blades sparsely to densely pubescent abaxially and pedicels glabrous are var. wallichii, to which naturalized North American plants appear to be referable. Plants with leaf blades brownish-tomentose abaxially and pedicels usually pubescent are var. tomentosa S. P. Hong, which may be in cultivation in North America.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 581. FNA vol. 5, p. 581.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Rubrivena Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Persicaria > sect. Rubrivena > Persicaria wallichii
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. robustior, P. sagittata, P. setacea, P. virginiana
Subordinate taxa
P. wallichii var. wallichii
Synonyms Polygonum polystachyum, Aconogonon polystachyum, Pleuropteropyrum polystachyum, Reynoutria polystachya, Rubrivena polystachya
Name authority Greuter & Burdet: Willdenowia 19: 41. (1989) unknown
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