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California knotweed

Habit Herbs.
Stems

erect, green, simple or divaricately branched, ± wiry, 4–40 cm, papillose-scabridulous.

Leaves

uniformly distributed, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves usually caducous, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 5–10 mm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part white or tawny, disintegrating into ± bristly-fringed fibers;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear, 5–25(–30) × 0.5–2 mm, margins revolute, papillose-denticulate or smooth, apex mucronate or weakly spine-tipped.

Inflorescences

axillary;

cymes in distal axils, 1-flowered.

Pedicels

absent.

Flowers

open or closed;

perianth 2.5–3.5 mm;

tube 10–20% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly white to pink, petaloid, elliptic, navicular, apex acute to acuminate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

Achenes

enclosed in or slightly exserted from perianth, brown, narrowly elliptic, 1.8–2.2 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

Polygonum californicum

Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Open places, including serpentine
Elevation 40-1200 m (100-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 564.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Polygonum > sect. Duravia
Sibling taxa
P. achoreum, P. argyrocoleon, P. austiniae, P. aviculare, P. bidwelliae, P. bolanderi, P. cascadense, P. douglasii, P. engelmannii, P. erectum, P. fowleri, P. glaucum, P. heterosepalum, P. hickmanii, P. humifusum, P. majus, P. marinense, P. minimum, P. nuttallii, P. oxyspermum, P. paronychia, P. parryi, P. patulum, P. plebeium, P. polygaloides, P. ramosissimum, P. sawatchense, P. shastense, P. spergulariiforme, P. striatulum, P. tenue, P. utahense
Synonyms Duravia californica, P. greenei
Name authority Meisner: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 100. (1856)
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