Polygonum pennsylvanica
Copyright, Jim Schreck
Pennsylvania Smartweed,
sometimes called "Lady's Thumb," is one of many species of
smartweeds in the area, and it is probably the most
common. It grows 1 - 4 feet tall
with long, narrow leaves. Like most smartweeds, Pennsylvania
Smartweed has spiked clusters of many small, pink flowers on
hairy stalks. Pennsylvania Smartweed
grows in moist places where the ground has been disturbed,
including woods, streamsides, roadsides, and fields
(especially along paths). It is an annual, so it only lives
for one season. Jack Dekker Jack Dekker Pennsylvania Smartweed
blooms from May to October, and the flower clusters are 1/2
to 2 1/2 inches long. Each flower is only about 1/8 inch
long. The pink flowers don't have petals. Fruits are small,
two-sided achenes. Each achene has one seed in it, but one
plant may have up to 800 achenes. The seeds are eaten by
many birds and animals, including: Mallard, Canada Goose,
Wood Duck, Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, Red-winged
Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal,
Dark-eyed Junco, sparrows, Mourning Dove, Eastern Chipmunk,
and White-footed Mouse. Sometimes these animals help spread
smartweed seeds by pooping them out in new
places. Smartweeds have a long
taproot (like a carrot), which can grow 8 inches straight
down.
Copyright, Dr. Fred Fishel, Missouri Weeds
Flowers are pollinated by
insects looking for nectar, especially flies and small bees.
Some other insects, which eat leaves, include Water-lily
Leaf Beetle, Aster Leafhopper, and Pipevine
Swallowtail. Backswimmers lay their
eggs in smartweed stems. White-tailed Deer,
Eastern Cottontail, and Muskrat also eat
smartweeds. Pennsylvania Smartweed
also provided great cover for small animals, including
insects, spiders, amphibians, and others. Because Pennsylvania
Smartweed prefers moist soil, it grows alongside many other
plants that like moisture, including: sedges, Pickerelweed,
beggar-ticks, pondweeds, water lilies, and bulrushes; as
well as other weeds, such as plantains, milkweeds, and
dandelions. Pennsylvania Smartweed does not do well in
crowded fields, where it gets pushed out by more aggressive
plants. Copyright 1997-8, Charles
Lewallen
