Common names: lady’s thumb, spotted smartweed, spotted lady’s thumb

Scientific names: Polygonum persicaria (Presicaria vulgaris, Persicaria maculosa)

Seasons of significant use: summer (for Polygonum spp. complex)

Characteristics: Introduced, naturalized, annual, warm season forb to 3.0 feet. Stems erect, occasionally ascending, usually branched, swollen at the nodes; leaves alternate, simple, lanceolate, stipulate; stipules from paperly sheath around the nodes called an ocrea, margin bristly or ciliate; inflorescence relatively thick (mostly 0.3-0.6 inch); tepals not developing bifurcating veins with recurved tips; fruit is dark, shiny, lens shaped or 3-angled. Flowers June-November.

Plant community type: Found on damp or moist ground (e.g., ditches, swales, flood plains, etc.)

More Plant Photos and Descriptions:
Appendix C: Plants by Common Name
Appendix C: Plants by Scientific Name
Appendix C: Plants Listed by Family