Persicaria lapathifolia
 
Pale Smartweed

Lower Plant

Regina
20-August-2025

Note the plant is an annual without rhizomes. The red line segment marks where the branch in the next photo (to the right in the thumbnails) was taken from.

A key to all species of family Polygonaceae that are found in Alberta, written by Lorna Allen and Linda Kershaw, is found here.  A key to Saskatchewan species of genus Persicaria, derived from the key in the Flora of North America, is found here.

Polygonaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family. The answers do not all apply to all genera in Polygonaceae, but they all do apply to genus Persicaria.

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

land plants; NOT [water plants]

plants not parasitic on trees

plants with more than one pair of leaves; NOT [plants with a single pair of large reniform leaves]

leaves alternate; NOT [leaves opposite]

stipules present

stipules forming a sheath above nodes

flowers perfect