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Polygonum pensylvanicum Family Polygonaceae - Buckwheat Smartweed is a fairly common wildflower, or weed, depending upon who you talk to, which sports a lot of names. In addition to Smartweed, it is also known as Pinkweed and Knotweed. It has dagger-shaped leaves with tight spikes of tiny pink or white flowers held upright above the plants. The stems will be pinkish or reddish. There are around seventy species of knotweed in the United States and southern Canada. It can be found as far west as Wyoming and Utah. Knotweed prefers damp or moist soil along roadsides, ditches, near waterways or lakes. Usually in a sunny or partly sunny location. Pinkweed will grow from one to three feet tall. A similar species, Polygonum persicaria, or Lady’s Thumb, is found in the same area. A good field guide and hand lens is necessary to differentiate between the two species. This annual member of the Buckwheat family is a bit too weedy for the flower garden, but is quite showy in the wild areas it inhabits. The dainty pink flowers of knotweed appear in late summer and continue on into autumn, usually until frosts kill it. The dark brown seed is a valuable food source for many songbirds. |
