# 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. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 40 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![low smartweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Polygonum_longisetum_4.JPG&width=800) Photo: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polygonum_longisetum_4.JPG) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Polygonaceae - **Genus:** Persicaria ## 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 - **Quick Spreader:** Low smartweed can produce a multitude of seeds rapidly, helping it quickly colonize disturbed or open areas. - **Wetland Warrior:** This plant can tolerate very wet or even temporarily flooded soils, allowing it to thrive where other plants cannot. - **Spicy Defense:** 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/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. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always be gentle with plants and don't eat them unless a grown-up says it's safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify low smartweed? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is low smartweed? 10-60 cm ### How wide does low smartweed spread? 15-40 cm ### How big are the flowers on low smartweed? 0.2-0.3 cm ### When does low smartweed bloom? Summer to Fall (July-October) ### Is low smartweed edible? Yes ### Is low smartweed toxic? None ### What is low smartweed's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Brandon Road Lock and Dam](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brandon-road-lock-and-dam) — Illinois, US · Historic Site - [Brooklyn Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brooklyn-botanic-garden) — New York, US · Botanical Garden - [Charlotte Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/charlotte-street-historic-district) — Arkansas, US · Historic District - [Clinton Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clinton-hill-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Dundee Canal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dundee-canal) — New Jersey, US · Historic Site - [Fort Payne Boom Town Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-payne-boom-town-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District [View all places to see low smartweed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/low-smartweed) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Low Smartweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/low-smartweed)