Dotted Smartweed

Dotted Smartweed

Polygonum punctatum

After a while it's hard to come up with clever things to say about the Smartweeds.  I suppose the polygoniologists would have a lot to say about that.

Dotted Smartweed is similar to Polygonum hydropiper and Polygonum hydropiperoides, both of which have cool sounding scientific names.

Things to note on this species are the sparse flowers on an erect stem and the lack of a small flower emanating from the sheath.



The smartweeds have a sheath around the stem at the base of the leaves. Polygonum hydropiper would have a small flower at the base of the sheath.

This plant grows in wet areas

Spotted Ladysthumb

Spotted Ladysthumb

Polygonum persicaria

Spotted Ladysthumb is a nice name for another one of the Smartweeds.  This is an alien plant to Indiana but quite common.  It's claim to fame is that the leaves have a dark spot in the middle that gives the impression of a thumbprint.



Note the dark spot in the middle of the leaf - the lady's thumbprint

The plants can get weedy looking

Flowers are in multiple, dense, uninterrupted spikes

Water Knotweed

Water Knotweed

Polygonum amphibium

Water Knotweed is another one of the native Smartweeds that are great for wildlife.  This one loves the water and can be found in dense stands in shallow wet areas.

It can be a challenge to find information about this plant since it has several common names, i.e. Water Smartweed and Swamp Smartweed, which it shares with other species, as well as a scientific synonym which seems to be used  more often, Persicaria amphibia.