Polygonum persicaria

Polygonum persicaria L.

Persicaria maculata (Raf.) Gray

Persicaria maculosa Gray

Persicaria persicaria (L.) Small

Persicaria ruderalis (Salisb.) C.F. Reed

Persicaria ruderalis (Salisb.) C.F. Reed var. vulgaris (Webb & Moq.) C.F. Reed

Persicaria vulgaris Webb & Moq.

Polygonum dubium Stein

Polygonum fusiforme Greene

Polygonum minus auct. non Huds.

Polygonum minus Huds. var. subcontinuum (Meisn.) Fernald

Polygonum persicaria L. var. angustifolium Beckh.

Polygonum persicaria L. var. ruderale (Salisb.) Meisn.

Polygonum puritanorum Fernald

Lady’s Thumb, Persicaria, Redleg, Spotted Ladysthumb, Adam’s Plaster, Lily of the Valley

About plant names...

Lady’s thumb, a native of Europe and Asia, became naturalized throughout the entire United States after its introduction there.

Identification: The plants reach 3' (91 cm) in height, though smaller plants are common. Leaves are long and narrow, up to about 5" (12 cm) long and an inch wide. Tiny pink and white flowers form spikes up to 3" (7.6 cm) long—the most noticeable feature of these rather inconspicuous plants. Leaves sometimes have a dark triangular ”thumbprint” on them.

Edibility: The leaves and young shoots are “palatable and nutritious”^[1] leaf vegetables. Young leaves may be added to salads, or cooked and served with vinegar, tasting a bit like spinach.^[2]

Online References:

Polygonum persicaria on CalPhotos

Polygonum persicaria at Alaskawildflowers.us

Polygonum persicaria on Turner Photographics' Wildflowers site

Polygonum persicaria on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Polygonum persicaria on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Polygonum persicaria at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Polygonum persicaria on eFloras

References:

Peterson, Lee Allen, Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 4½ × 5" (11 × 13 cm)

9/9/2014 · Bemis Road, Pepperell, MA
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 23 cm)

8/17/2013 · Hopkinton State Park, Hopkinton, MA
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/9/2014 · Bemis Road, Pepperell, MA
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, MA
≈ 10 × 7" (26 × 17 cm)

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 18 × 21" (45 × 53 cm)

8/18/2013 · Bemis Road, Townsend, MA
≈ 4½ × 4" (11 × 10 cm)

9/9/2014 · Bemis Road, Pepperell, MA
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)

8/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 7 × 10" (16 × 25 cm)

Usually pink, but may be greenish white or purple. · 8/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10 cm)

9/10/2016 · Arlington St., Groton, MA

8/18/2013 · Bemis Road, Townsend, MA
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

A bit pinker than usual. · 9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 5 × 4½" (13 × 11 cm)

¹See the Wikipedia article

²See Peterson, Lee Allen, Peterson Field Guides Edible Wild Plants, Eastern/Central North America, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977, p. 116.

Polygonum persicaria description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 12 Oct 2018.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/17/2013 · Hopkinton State Park, Hopkinton, MA
≈ 3½ × 5" (9.7 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

9/10/2016 · Arlington St., Groton, MA

9/10/2016 · Arlington St., Groton, MA

A bit pinker than usual. · 9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)

9/9/2014 · Bemis Road, Pepperell, MA
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, MA
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 15 cm)

9/9/2014 · Bemis Road, Pepperell, MA
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

8/6/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 7.7 cm)

8/6/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 5 × 3½" (12 × 9.2 cm)

8/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

Range:

About this map...