OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Persicaria longiseta   FAMILY Polygonaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum   FAMILY Polygonaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen [& Franck], 2015 et seq.)

Persicaria cespitosa var. longiseta

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)

Persicaria longiseta

SYNONYMOUS WITH Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2003)

Polygonum caespitosum var. longisetum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-013:

Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum   FAMILY Polygonaceae

 

COMMON NAME:
Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm120827_014

August    Greenville County    SC

Leaves smooth above, sparsely hairy on veins below, elliptic to lance-shaped, per Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992).

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm120827_020

August    Greenville County    SC

Racemes interrupted at least near the base, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm080927_010

September    Greenville County    SC

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm080927_015

September    Greenville County    SC

Deep reddish-pink flowers on erect terminal spikes only 0.2" wide, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm081001_025

October    Greenville County    SC

Base of leaf is cuneate, petiole 1-5 mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm081001_028

October    Greenville County    SC

An erect annual with glabrous, terete stems, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm081001_042

October    Greenville County    SC

The cilia on the ocreae are unmistakable: 1/4" to 3/8" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE ocreae of Jumpseed and Smartweed species

image of Persicaria longiseta, Longbristle Smartweed, Bristly Lady's-thumb, Creeping Smartweed, Tufted Knotweed

JK Marlow    jkm081001_044

October    Greenville County    SC

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Persicaria longiseta   FAMILY Polygonaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum   FAMILY Polygonaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen [& Franck], 2015 et seq.)
Persicaria cespitosa var. longiseta

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Persicaria longiseta

SYNONYMOUS WITH Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2003)
Polygonum caespitosum var. longisetum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-013:
Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum   FAMILY Polygonaceae

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1120

Forb
Annual

Habitat: Disturbed areas, lawns, ditches, per Weakley's Flora

Non-native: Asia

Common (uncommon in Coastal Plain)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)


INVASIVE

This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:

 

IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems, petioles and leaves unarmed

LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Pink
5-parted calyx
Petals absent
Superior ovary
Bisexual

Inflorescence spikelike, uninterrupted

FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Black
Nutlet

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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