Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Prostrate Knotweed at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum aviculare
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-003:
Polygonum aviculare FAMILY Polygonaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Polygonum aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Polygonum aviculare
COMMON NAME:
Prostrate Knotweed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_poav_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_poav_003_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_117a
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_117b
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_p_aviculare_aviculare
June Iredell County NC
Sheaths [ocreae] silvery. Plant usually prostrate, sometimes erect, per Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977).
)
JK Marlow jkm190903_1211
September Greenville County SC
Much branched, usually trailing radially from the taproot, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm190903_1214
September Greenville County SC
Leaves blue-green, lanceolate to elliptic, 1-3cm or less long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm190903_1215
September Greenville County SC
Viewed from underneath.
)
JK Marlow jkm190903_1216
September Greenville County SC
Viewed from underneath. Taproot at bottom.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum aviculare
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Polygonum aviculare ssp. aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-003:
Polygonum aviculare
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Polygonum aviculare
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Polygonum aviculare
1119
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eurasia
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Greenish with a broad white or pink margin
5-parted calyx
Petals absent
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Reddish-brown
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p192
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p283
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p208
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p163
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".