low smartweed

Persicaria longiseta

Low smartweed is a small plant that grows close to the ground. It has pretty green leaves and tiny pink flowers that attract butterflies and bees.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The low smartweed has slender stems, often reddish, bearing lance-shaped green leaves that may feature a dark, triangular blotch. Its tiny pinkish-white flowers grow in dense, upright, bristly spikes, resembling small bottle brushes.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderCaryophyllalesFamilyPolygonaceaeGenusPersicaria

low smartweed

Interesting facts

Hundreds of tiny seeds are made by just one plant!

Its leaves actually taste spicy, like pepper, when you chew them!

This plant often has a cool purple V-shape on its leaves!

Wow! Some call its tiny, spiky flowers "pink bottle brushes"!

Special abilities

Low smartweed can produce a multitude of seeds rapidly, helping it quickly colonize disturbed or open areas.

This plant can tolerate very wet or even temporarily flooded soils, allowing it to thrive where other plants cannot.

It has a peppery taste due to natural compounds, which helps deter some animals from eating its leaves.

Measurements & details

Height: 10-60 cm
Spread: 15-40 cm
Flower Size: 0.2-0.3 cm
Bloom Season: Summer to Fall (July-October)
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Annual
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eaten by

Mallard duck

Anas platyrhynchos

Ducks love to eat its abundant seeds.

pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

Tiny bees visit its small flowers.

eaten by

Green peach aphid

Myzus persicae

Aphids sometimes feed on its sap.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Cluster Flower

Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.

Medicinal

Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.