Polygonum minus Huds., Polygonaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Persicaria minor (Huds.) Opiz

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: mamaca, mamaka

Chuukese: opulöulöu, teerow

English: slender persicaria, small smartweed, small water-pepper, smartweed

French: petite renouée, renouée fluette

Kwara‘ae: fa‘i ngwagwali

Palauan: sekes

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial herb, prostrate, decumbent or ascending to c. 1 m; stems very slender (c. 1 mm thick) to fairly stout (4 mm), glabrous or nearly so.  Leaves shortly petiolate, lanceolate to almost linear, mostly 5-12 cm long; dotted with glands, with upward-pointing appressed hairs on petioles, margins and larger nerves, sometimes lacking on upper surface and sparse beneath, rarely dense on and between nerves on both surfaces; sheaths short, glabrous to with dense appressed hairs; ocreas tubular, 8-20 mm long, strongly nerved, clothed sparsely to very densely with appressed hairs, transversely truncate, with fine but stiff bristles, 5-10 mm long (rarely shorter, to 1 mm) from apex.  Inflorescence apical, of 1 to several lax to fairly dense pseudospikes, 1-6 cm long; bracts funnel-shaped, obliquely truncate, ciliate on margins, 3-6-flowered. Perianth white or pink, 1.5-2 mm long, increasing to c. 2.5 mm after anthesis; stamens 6; styles 2.  Fruit lenticular with strongly convex elliptic faces, rather sharp-angled near apex (sometimes a few trigonous), 1.5-2 x 1-1.2 mm, black or dark brown, shining"  (Womersley, 1978; pp. 236-238).

Habitat/ecology:  "Roadsides, swamps, ditches, etc." (Fernald, 1970; p. 584).  In Guam, "occasional, locally abundant, along freshwater streams" (Stone, 1970; p. 264).  In Papua New Guinea (native), "found from sea level to an altitude of 2500 m.  At the lower levels a plant of distinctly wet situations, such as swamps, ditches, stream and lake margins, but at higher altitudes also a weed of cultivation, plantations and pastures"  (Womersley, 1978; p. 238).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Europe. Fosberg et al. (1979; p. 66) and Stone (1970; p. 264) list var. procerum (Danser) Steward as native to Micronesia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Lukunor (Núkúnooch) Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Namoluk (Nómwunuuk) Atoll		Marshall, Mae/Fosberg, F. R. (1975) (p. 33) Var. procerum (Danser) Steward. Voucher cited: Marshall 79 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Namonuito (Namonweito, Nómwun Wiité) Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Puluwat (Pwonowót) Atoll	native	Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. (1989) (p. 44) Var. procerum (Danser) Steward. Voucher cited: Manner & Mallon 290 (GUAM).
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Satawan Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Udot Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Ifalik (Ifaluk) Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Lamotrek Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Woleai Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 264) Var. procerum (Danser) Steward; voucher cited: Stone 4446 (GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66) Var. procerum (Danser) Steward
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: PTBG 32617) Taxon name on voucher: Polygonum minus var procerus
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 117) Voucher cited: Bougier s.n.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	native	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 104)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1970) (voucher ID: BNM 620) Taxon name on voucher: Polygonum minus var procerum
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1983) (voucher ID: PTBG 23517) Taxon name on voucher: Polygonum minus var procerus
Palau Palau (main island group)	Peleliu Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Papua New Guinea Bougainville Islands	Bougainville Island		Foreman, D. B. (1971) (p. 53)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	Womersley, John S., ed. (1978) (p. 238)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, Toni J./Wolf, Matthias (1988) (p. 290)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 123) In open wet places, altitude 1,200 to 1,500 m.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 101) var. procerum (Danser) Steward
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Womersley, John S., ed. (1978) (p. 238)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 289)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Hafliger, Toni J./Wolf, Matthias (1988) (p. 290)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Toni J./Wolf, Matthias (1988) (p. 290)

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

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

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

References:

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1970. Voucher specimen #BNM620(Salsedo, Carl A. 433).

Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany, eighth edition. American Book Co. p. 588.

Foreman, D. B. 1971. A check list of the vascular plants of Bougainville, with descriptions of some common forest trees. Botany Bulletin No. 5. Division of Botany, Department of Forests. Lae, New Guinea. 194 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

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

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

LaRosa, Anne M. 1984. The biology & ecology of Passiflora mollissima in Hawaii. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai‘i, Department of Botany. Technical Report 50.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. 1989. An Annotated list of the vascular plants of Pulawat Atoll. Micronesica 22:23-63.

Marshall, Mae/Fosberg, F. R. 1975. The natural history of Namoluk Atoll, eastern Caroline Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 189. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 53 pp + photos.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 0. Voucher specimen #PTBG32617 (collector unknown 1887).

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 1983. Voucher specimen #PTBG23517 (A. Bowden-Kerby LR 5804).

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Womersley, John S., ed. 1978. Handbooks of the flora of Papua New Guinea, vol. 1. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. 278 pp.