Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_2823.JPG-08-19-2019
Flower name (scientific): Persicaria amphibia (Linnaeus) Delarbre PY: 1800. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) per-sih-KAR-ee-uh (or per-se-KAR-e-a) am-FIB-ee-uh
Flower name (common): Swamp Smartweed
Family name (common): Buckwheat
Family name (scientific): Polygonaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: From classical Latin persicum, for peach. Referring to the similarity of the leaves of the plant to the leaves of the peach tree.
    Specific epithet: Growing on both land and in water.
Common name origin: From a common habitat. Smartweed formed by compounding smart + weed. The use of smart could refer to the plant's ability to grow aggressively and resistance to culling measures. Smart could also be used in the sense of sharp physical pain, referring to the ability of various chemical constituents to cause skin irritation.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.1 to 0.2 inches (0.3 to 0.5 cm)
     Petal count: 5
     Color: pink
     Other: flower arrangement, Spike
Plant description:
     Size: 12 to 60 inches (30 to 152 cm)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate, type is simple
     Size: Leaves up to 15 to 20 cm long and 6 to 8 cm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf, ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblong-lanceolate (FNA)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): June to September
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: This species grows in two distinct habitats, which were formly recogizied as two different infrasppecifics of Persicaria amphibia. One habitat is aquatic, which includes swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, and streams. The other habitat is terrestrial, which includes prairies, forest edges, disturbed sites, and roadsides, with moist soil. Sun or part shade.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): The really bright pink flowers of this species make it easy to ID. None of the other Persicaria species have such brightly colored pink flowers.
Ethnobotany: The Ojibwe used this plant to prepare a tea that was employed to treat stomach pain. They also used the smoke from the dried flowers when hunting as an attractant for deer (Smith, pp. 381, 431, 1932). The Meskwaki used the roots of this plant to prepare a medicine to treat sores in the mouth. It is also a component in a medicine employed to treat women with womb issues (Smith, p. 236, 1928). In the previous two references, Smith uses the old synonym name Polygonum muhlenbergii for this plant. The Potawatomi use the roots as medicine for unspecified ailments (Smith, p. 70, 1933). In the latter reference Smith uses the old synonym Polygonum amphibium for this plant.
Latitude: 44.797002
Longitude: -91.512612
Altitude: 256.40
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY) Click here for distribution map
In Canada: (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT) Click here for distribution map
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Polygonum amphibium Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 1: 361. 1753.
Homotypic Synonym(s):
Heterotypic Synonym(s): Persicaria amphibia var. emersa (Michaux) J. C. Hickman, Persicaria amphibia var. stipulacea (N. Coleman) H. Hara
Autonym: na
Wetland Status (NC): OBL
Wetland Status (MW): OBL