Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Fallopia scandens
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Climbing Buckwheat at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
There has been widespread skepticism about the recognition of two taxa ... 'scandens' and 'cristata'. Desjardins et al. (2023) cast additional doubt based on molecular evidence. We here lump the two taxa ... If recognized, Fallopia cristata has smaller floral parts: perianth 7-10 mm long at maturity (measured from the pedicel joint to the tip) and achenes 2-3.5 mm long, vs. perianth 10-15 mm long at maturity (measured from the pedicel joint to the tip) and achenes 3.5-6 mm long. Read more in Weakley's Flora.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum scandens var. scandens
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Fallopia scandens
INCLUDING New England Wildflower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae (Haines, 2011)
Fallopia cristata
INCLUDING New England Wildflower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae (Haines, 2011)
Fallopia scandens
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Fallopia scandens
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygonum scandens var. cristatum
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygonum scandens var. scandens
INCLUDING VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-022a:
Polygonum scandens var. scandens FAMILY Polygonaceae
INCLUDING Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Polygonum scandens var. cristatum
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bilderdykia cristata
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bilderdykia scandens
COMMON NAME:
Common Climbing Buckwheat
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_tisc_001_lvd
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_fallopia_scandens_1
August Iredell County NC
Flowers borne in unbranched racemes (vs. branched in P. cilinode), per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm140906_244b
September Swain County NC
Calyx with a distinctly wavy or tattered margin and wing-keeled in fruit, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm140906_254
September Swain County NC
Flowers white or tinged with pink or green, in unbranched racemes, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm140909_520b
September Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Fruiting perianth wings decurrent on stipelike base, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
JK Marlow jkm140922_930
September Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140922_932
September Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140922_938
September Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaves 2-5" long, oblong-ovate to ovate with heart-shaped or sagittate base, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm150927_260
September Henderson County NC
Bearwallow Mountain
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_polygonum_scandens_2
September
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_polygonum_scandens_3
September
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_polygonum_scandens_3b
September
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Fallopia scandens
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Polygonum scandens var. scandens
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Fallopia scandens
INCLUDING
New England Wildflower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae (Haines, 2011)
Fallopia cristata
INCLUDING
New England Wildflower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae (Haines, 2011)
Fallopia scandens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Fallopia scandens
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygonum scandens var. cristatum
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Polygonum scandens var. scandens
INCLUDING
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-04-022a:
Polygonum scandens var. scandens
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
INCLUDING
Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Polygonum scandens var. cristatum
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bilderdykia cristata
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bilderdykia scandens
SYNONYMOUS WITH Fallopia scandens
1126
High-climbing herbaceous vine
Perennial
Habitat: Moist to wet open habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in GA Piedmont, uncommon in Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Greenish/ Whitish/ Pinkish
5-parted calyx
Petals absent
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers in unbranched racemes
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black, lustrous
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p322
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p205
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p291
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p061?
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p033
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