Lady’s Thumb
Polygonum persicaria
Other Names: Redleg
|
Family
|
|
|
Flower
|
- each is ~ 4 mm (1/8 inch), pink, whitish, or purplish, and arranged in a thick, upright, elongated, or tubular cluster (1.5-5 cm, 0.5-2 inches) at the top of a pink/red stem that may be branched or unbranched
- no petals
- 4-6 sepals
|
|
Leaf
|
- 5-15 cm (2-6 inches)
- long and lance-shaped
- darker smudge (roughly triangular) in middle
- paper-like sheath around base where leaf joins the stem – short bristles around edge
|
|
Location
|
- in many parts of North America
- found in moist, open areas, along roads, and cultivated places
|
|
Flowering Time
|
|
|
Other
|
- weed originally from Europe
- whole plant is between 15 and 80 cm (6 and 31 inches)
|
|
Name Origin
|
- dark smudge in center of leaf was thought to look like the thumbprint of a lady
|
|
 |
|
