Persicaria Amphibia, Water Smartweed



Common names:
Water smartweed, amphibious bistort
Scientific name:
Persicaria amphibia
Synonym:
Polygonum amphibium
Main flower color:
Range:
All of the British Isles
Height:
Up to 60 cm
Habitat:
Either floating, in ponds and lakes, or on damp ground, along water margins
Flowers:
Pale to dark pink, with five overlapping petals, two stigmas and five exserted stamens; in dense, elongated clusters, up to 4 cm long, atop leafless stalks
Leaves:
Lanceolate, up to 15 cm long; long-stalked and hairless for floating plants, short-stalked, hairy and more rounded for terrestrial plants
Season:
June to September
Rarity:
★★★★★