PERSICARIA MACULOSA

Family and Genus:- See- POLYGONACEAE/Sect. PERSICARIA

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Polygonum persicaria

Meaning:- Persicaria (Gr) Peach-like, reference to the leaves.

Maculosa (L) Spotted, blotched, bearing spots.

General description:- Annual.

Stems:-

1) 20-80 cm, erect or ascending.

Ochreae:-

1) Shortly ciliate.

Leaves:-

1) Up to 15 x 3·5 cm, lanceolate, often with a large, blackish spot, glabrous, or

occasionally tomentose beneath.

Flowers:-

1) Spikes, cylindrical, dense, usually stout.

2) Perianth, c. 3 mm, pink or white.

Fruit:-

1) Nut, black, glossy, usually lenticular.

Key features:-

1) Peduncles, without glands.

2) Perianth, bright or pale pink.

3) Leaves, lanceolate.

4) Inflorescence, eglandular or with a few glands

5) Cilia, on the upper margin of the ochrea 2-4 mm

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Habitat:- Marshy, somewhat ruderalised habitats by streams, ditches and field

margins. 0-800(-1300) m.

Distribution:- Scattered throughout mainland Greece and Peloponnisos. - Perhaps

native in Europe and SW Asia, now an almost cosmopolitan weed in temperate

areas. Rare on Crete and currently known from only one locations in the west, near

Souda on the N coast.

Flowering time:- June-Oct.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons