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Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn

Polygonum punctatum

Polygonum punctatum Elliott

Dotted Smartweed

Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: POPU5

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), PR (N), CAN (N)

Smartweed grows to 4 feet tall with leaves 2-6 inches long. The greenish-white flowers have sepals but no petals, are 1/16 inch across, and are in racemes 1-2 1/2 inches long at the end of the erect stem.

From the Image Gallery

6 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Fruit Type: Achene
Size Notes: Up to about 4 feet tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov
Bloom Notes: Rarely tinged pink.

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , HI , 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
Canada: BC , MB , NB , NS , ON , PE , QC , SK

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Getting rid of Polygonum punctatum (dotted smartweed)
July 28, 2008
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, After much online research, my property has been invaded by what I believe to be Persicaria polygonum punctata, more commonly known as dotted smartweed. I have tried hortic...
view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0645 Collected May 30, 1992 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Bibliography

Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic Botany
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Polygonum punctatum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Polygonum punctatum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Polygonum punctatum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-02
Research By: TWC Staff

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