Pale Smartweed( (Polygonum lapathifolium)

Family: Polygonacea (pol-LIG-gon-a-see-ee) – From the Greek pŏlygŏnon from polys, many and gony, the knee joint. In reference to the many joints of the rhizomes of this family.

Genus: Polygonum (pol-LIG-go-num) - As above in reference to many knee joints or angles, possibly referring to the flexibility of the flower head. Alternative Pronunciation: pol-ee-GO-nus

Species: lapathifolium (la-path-ih-FOH-lee-um) From the Latin lapathi, an old name for dock or sorrel or having leaves like sorrel or dock.

Also called nodding smartweed, curly-top knotweed, dock-leaved smartweed, common knotweed, willow-weed, willow smartweed, pale persicaria, wireweed and dockleaf smartweed.

Pale Smartweed

Smartweed is in the buckwheat family. It is very common throughout North America as can be seen from its many common names. It is probably native although there is some discussion that it might have come from Eurasia. It reproduces quickly and would be considered a troublesome invasive if it were not native.

Buckwheat is not in the grass family as some people believe but in a group all its own. Some buckwheat grains were once used to make delicious pancakes but smartweed seeds are not for human consumption and this is not recommended.

In Altona Forest it grows in the moist soil around Lacey’s Pond.

Pale smartweed grows from 30 to 200 cm tall but has not been seen over 100 cm in Altona Forest.

The leaves are long and can be sharply pointed.

Pale Smartweed

Smartweed white to pale pink to bright pink flowers are small and bloom from July to November or first frost. The seeds are dispersed by birds and water.  

Pale Smartweed

The stem has a somewhat zigzag appearance and joints have a knotted appearance with a sheath remaining on the stem after the branch is fully developed.

The leaves often exhibit a black splotch.

Pale SmartweedMany birds, insects, and

mammals do eat the seeds. Some 1st Nations people did use the highly acidic smartweeds for internal and external medicine.  A tradition in Mexico states that soaking in a smartweed bath relieves rheumatism.

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