Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Persicaria arifolia
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Halberd-leaf Tearthumb at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum arifolium
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Persicaria arifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-019:
Polygonum arifolium FAMILY Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tracaulon arifolium
COMMON NAME:
Halberd-leaf Tearthumb
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_poar6_002_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trar6_001_lvd
)
Gill Newberry gn10_polygonum_arifolium
October
Leaves to 6" long, broadly hastate with flaring triangular lobes, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Persicaria arifolia
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum arifolium
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Persicaria arifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-019:
Polygonum arifolium
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tracaulon arifolium
1117
Forb
Annual
Habitat: marshes, wet thickets, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Carolina Coastal Plain, uncommon in NC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stem, petioles, and major leaf veins (beneath) have abundant recurved prickles
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Pink
4-parted calyx
Petals absent
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Inflorescence capitate or paniclelike, uninterrupted
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Reddish-brown
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p330
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p472
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p402
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p206
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p004
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p293
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p032
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
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