Persicaria punctata

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Persicaria punctata NRCS-1.jpg

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Bárrios, S. |author2=Copeland, A. |year=2021 |title=Persicaria punctata |page=e.T138232704A192154729 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T138232704A192154729.en |access-date=30 November 2022}}

|genus = Persicaria

|species = punctata

|authority = (Elliott) Small 1903

|synonyms_ref = [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2572317 The Plant List, Persicaria punctata (Elliott) Small ]

|synonyms =

• Polygonum punctatum Elliott 1817
• Discolenta punctata (Elliott) Raf.
• Polygonum acre Lam.
• Polygonum epilobioides Wedd.

}}

Persicaria punctata (syn. Polygonum punctatum) is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names dotted smartweed{{PLANTS|id=POPU5|taxon=Polygonum punctatum|accessdate=12 October 2015}} and dotted knotweed.

Persicaria punctata is native to the Americas, where it can be found in moist and wet habitat types from Canada to Argentina including the West Indies.[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/State/Persicaria%20punctata.png Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map]Soto Solís, D. A. 2014. Polygonaceae. En: Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica. Vol. VII. B.E. Hammel, M.H. Grayum, C. Herrera & N. Zamora (eds.). Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 129: 358–383Carnevali, G., J. L. Tapia-Muñoz, R. Duno de Stefano & I. M. Ramírez Morillo. 2010. Flora Ilustrada de la Peninsula Yucatán: Listado Florístico 1–326 It is an extremely variable plant. It may be annual or perennial.

Persicaria punctata grows from a rhizome and produces decumbent or erect stems which may just exceed one meter (40 in.) in length. The branching stems may root at nodes that come in contact with the substrate. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and have stipules widened into bristly brown ochrea that wrap around the stems. The inflorescence is a number of branching clusters of dotted greenish flowers with white edges, sometimes tinged pink.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242100107 Flora of North America, Persicaria punctata (Elliott) Small, 1903. Dotted smartweed, renouée ponctuée ]