Persicaria punctata (Elliott) Small, Polygonaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Polygonum punctatum Elliott

Common name(s): [more details]

English: arse-smart, dotted smartweed, turkey-troop, water smartweed

French: piment-vache, renouée ponctuée

Spanish: ananash, barbasco, hierba del bicho, padilla, yerba caimán, yerba de sapo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Rhizomatous perennial herbs; stems green or reddish below, ascending or sometimes decumbent toward base and rooting at the nodes, slightly swollen above the nodes, 3-10 dm long, unbranched or many-branched, glandular punctate.  Leaves lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 6-15 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide, margins ciliate, petioles 0.3-1 cm long, ocreae cylindrical, 9-18 mm long, expanding with the nodes and eventually splitting sparsely strigillose and ± inconspicuously glandular punctate, apex truncate, long-ciliate, the bristles 1.5-6.5 mm long.  Flowers in open, erect or arching, distinctly interrupted racemes, these sometimes arranged in paniculate inflorescences 5-10 cm long, peduncles glandular punctate, each flower on a glandular punctate, jointed pedicel; tepals greenish white or nearly completely green, 2-2.5 mm long, glandular punctate with yellowish glands.  Nuts dark brown or black, trigonous or lenticular, 1.8-3 mm long, the surface glossy"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1064).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized along streambeds, wet areas, in running or standing water, and in disturbed wet forest, 5-1,900 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1064).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "North America to South America and the West Indies, widely naturalized" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1064).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1064) Voucher cited: Rock 3450 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1963) (voucher ID: BISH 63745) Taxon name on voucher: Persicaria punctata (Elliott) Small

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Persicaria punctata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Persicaria punctata as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Persicaria punctata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

Other Latin names:  Polygonum punctatum Elliott

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1963. Voucher specimen #BISH63745(Carlson, N.K. s.n.).

Hafliger, Toni J./Wolf, Matthias. 1988. Dicot weeds, vol. 1. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 335 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).