The rhizomes are white and thin; hence this weed is often called "shoestring". However, there are at least three plants in this genus, Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Giant Knotweed (Polygonaum sachalinense) and Bohemian Knotweed (Polygonum bohemicum) which should never be collected because they are extremely difficult to eradicate, eco-system damaging, non-native plants. This wild grain is an important food source for wildlife, but it becomes a noxious weed when it gets into garden plots and lawns.. What is Smartweed? Persicaria longiseta. Stone, Katharine R. 2010. Other smartweeds often have racemes that are more slender, nodding, and less densely crowded with flowers. Comparison of the chemical composition of three species of smartweed (genus Persicaria) with a focus on drimane sesquiterpenoids. Polygonum persicaria) is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae.Common names include lady's thumb, spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. Leaves can cause contact dermatitis in humans. It’s a smart beginner wild edible and medicinal green because of the distinguished triangular purple spot on the leaf making it easily identifiable. There are a lot of plants in these two genera, so for this monograph I only listed the Virginia Persicaria species. 2014. For this writing, I collected bristly ladies-thumb which had smaller clusters and was more work for less result. And remember, always avoid the three plants in this genus, Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Giant Knotweed (Polygonaum sachalinense) and Bohemian Knotweed (Polygonum bohemicum) which should never be collected because they are extremely difficult to eradicate, eco-system damaging, non-native plants. Emerge in the spring and set seed in late summer/fall and die. They also rubbed the plant on their horses as an insect repellant. Retrieved January 6, 2017 from http://www.ct.gov/caes, Stoltenow, C. & Lardy, G. (2015, March) Nitrate Poisoning of Livestock. You can test a sample. Wildflowers: Northeastern/North-central North America. Oriental lady's-thumb smartweed is an invasive annual of wet disturbed areas, where it can form large stands. Just to prove to yourself that the seed is mature, you can roll the seeds in your fingers to break off the plant chaff, revealing the dark, shiny seed within. Today is another field trip on wild harvesting Ladies Thumb or smart weed herb. Plant. Spotted Lady's Thumb is not native to the U.S. and has become invasive, so it's a negative in my book. longisetum, most closely resembles Lady's-thumb (Persicaria maculosa), which does not have the long bristles in the flower cluster, a trait only P. longiseta has. c/o Virginia Botanical Associates, Blacksburg. American Wildlife and Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits. The stems, flowers and leaves can all be eaten cooked or raw, tasting similar to lettuce. The leaves can be used as treatment for poison ivy and stomach pains. Once you are just down to stem and flowers, rub handfuls of the material to dislodge the seeds from the flower seed head. Whoops. (Accessed November 2015). Uncategorized smartweed vs knotweed. Pennsylvania Smartweed and Ladythumb (Polygonum pensylvanicum L. and P. persicaria L.) Life cycle: Summer annuals. Canning jars and lids work well. Lady's Thumb. Cardinals, sparrows, towhees, red-winged blackbirds, bobwhites and redpolls are especially fond of this seed. (1951). Retrieved: readers supply the date, from http://wildfoods4wildlife.com. Stems and leaves can be offered to animals, though the greens taste somewhat spicy more like mustard, so animals may not eat greens in great quantity. Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (http://www.vaplantatlas.org). The leaves have a hairy upper surface, and margins, while the lower surface remains smooth. Douglas, S.M. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. The chemistry of water pepper smartweed and related species (new genus name is Persicaria = Polygonum) has been described in the following publication: Prota N, Mumm R, Bouwmeester HJ, Jongsma MA. (Unpublished Report) Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage. Lady's Thumb, along with various species of Smartweed are a part of the buckwheat family. Pale smartweed and ladysthumb are coarse, emergent aquatic to terrestrial herbs. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Fortunately, their blooms looks much different than what is pictured above. Refrigeration and freezing works well, but allow container to warm to room temperature before opening. Pictures below. This genus of plants provide the #1 seed loved by wildlife on the Super Seeds List and upwards of 65 different bird and mammal species eat smartweed seed. Discard any seed that ever appears moldy. Some side effects of Lady’s Thumb are associated with oxalic acid, which, as with the oxalic acid in rhubarb, can cause health issues if eaten in large quantities. Underside is shiny and topside has fine, shiny hairs you can see if you look closely on a sunny day. There is also a perennial smartweed, swamp smartweed (P. amphimbium L.). A. Pale smartweed, P. lapathifolium, and ladysthumb look similar, but pale smartweed lacks the purple leaf blotch and short hairs on leaf sheaths that are characteristic in ladysthumb. While the term smartweed has been tossed about to describe all of them, it has a slightly hotter flavor that is immediately noticeable. Portion of stem with leafstalk and ocrea. Spotted lady’s thumb is non-native to North America and should not be promoted. No products in the cart. B. Uncategorized smartweed vs knotweed. D. Portion of lower stem with leafstalk and ocrea. Lady's-thumb definition, a smartweed, Polygonum persicaria, of the buckwheat family, having pink or purplish flowers and lance-shaped leaves with a spot resembling a thumbprint. In addition to using the identification guide of your choice, here are a couple of features you should see on this plant: Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Black bindweed (Polygonum convolvulus),  Prostrate knotweed (Polygonum aviculare) have all cause livestock deaths as a green forage, possibly unrelated to nitrate poisoning. Pull, Pull, Pull! Hopefully wont come back next year. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. greens can also cause photosensitization (Burrows, G.E. Narrow the list by choosing characteristics that match your unknown plant or search for plants by name. C. Portion of stem with lower surface of leaf blade, leafstalk and ocrea. Comparison of the chemical composition of three species of smartweed (genus Persicaria) with a focus on drimane sesquiterpenoids. Showed up this year, and all the leaves have the dark blotch. Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat or Knotweed Family), Genus: Polygonum (some sources use persicaria for the genus) | Species: persicaria, vulgaris, and/or caespitosum (Most common member of this group, at least in the northeastern US, is called Pennsylvania Smartweed – Polygonum Pensylvanicum), Description: Some may also refer to this very common weed as “Smartweed.” The leaves are distinctly pigmented in the centers. Keep container in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Many greens are very sensitive to exposure to ethylene gas, though greens themselves are low emitters of the gas. Polygonum sachalinense, P. cuspidatum, P. × bohemicum. leaves can cause contact dermatitis in humans. Pale smartweed. smartweed. The elliptic to lanceolate leaves with a purple spotted ladys thumb print in the middle and distinctive ocrea with stiff hairs are all characteristics that help to distinguish tufted knotweed from other similar weeds. If you have access to it, you can include these seeds in with your smartweed seed mix. The plant is long-flowering and an early flower and a mature flower look almost the same. One generally recognizable plant feature of smartweeds and knotweeds are the swollen joints (nodes) where the leaf meets the stem. Lady's Thumb (Persicaria maculosa) Mild Water Pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) Nodding Smartweed (Persicaria lapathifolia) Northern Jointweed (Polygonum articulatum) Pink Knotweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum) Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) Swamp Smartweed (Ploygonum coccineum) Water Smartweed (Polygonum amphibium) THUMBNAILS The stems, flowers and leaves can all be eaten cooked or raw, tasting similar to lettuce. Though small, en mass they are quite beautiful! Spotted Lady's Thumb ( Persicaria maculosa) Posted by keithp2012. Does this lend itself as an enrichment item? If you choose to, use a commercial vegetable cleaner or a ¼ cup (60 ml) of vinegar added to wash water as a cleaner. Habitat. Leaves: The alternately arranged leaves are lance to egg shaped, and grow from 2 to 6 inches long and can be up to 2 inches wide. ), curly dock (Rumex crispus L.), red sorrel (Rumex acetosella L.), and Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. In: Fire nEffects Information System, [Online]. Spread the collected plant tops out on a sheet or drying screen for a week to dry. The ocrea is a thin membranous sheath that encircles the … ladysthumb smartweed. Do not use if greens become moldy, slimy or dried out. But for plants that are more susceptible accumulating nitrates, drought, reduced sunlight, excessive soil nitrogen from excess fertilization can over-accumulate nitrates  because the plant is not growing and utilizing the nitrogen it has absorbed. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2017, January 17]. Keep container in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. E. Portion of upper stem with leaf stalk and ocrea showing stalked glands. It is possible to find smartweeds and knotweeds in both Persicaria and Polygonum genera. White Clay Creek State Park -- Big Pond area September 2003. Caution: P. cuspidatum, P. convolvulus, P. aviculare have all cause animal deaths as forage. & Tyrl, R.J., 2013), Some people develop a skin sensitivity from contact with smartweed leaf—so beware if you are wading into a stand of smartweed in shorts for the first time until you know if you are sensitive. Flowers. If you have the patience and micro-dexterity to deconstruct a tiny flower, you would find five petal-like pink sepals around the superior ovary. Family: Buckwheat or Smar… Emerge in the spring and set seed in late summer/fall and die. This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Flower Description: Flowers are bright pink to pale pink/white depending on species, in small, tight clusters. Persicaria maculosa Polygonaceae — Smartweed family Non-native. Scientific synonyms of Lady's Thumb include Persicaria vulgaris and … Place in a colander or salad spinner to drain, then layout a towel and spread the greens on the towel and roll up the towel. The leaves can be used as treatment for poison ivy and stomach pains. As nouns the difference between persicaria and smartweed is that persicaria is (botany) lady's thumb while smartweed is any of more than a dozen species of the genus polygonum . Wild edible lady's thumb - excellent survival food. Leaf Description: Leaves are a dark green, entire. Persicaria maculosa (syn. Lady’s thumb is distinguished from other members of the smartweed family by a combination of characteristics such as: The undersurface of the leaves are without matted white hair or yellowish glands. Introduced from Europe, this has naturalized in all states except Hawaii, particularly in damp or disturbed sites. If no flower you can see, then firmly rub a few of the pink flowers until you rub off the pink papery bits of chaff off –mature seeds are dark and shiny. Edible & Medicinal Lady’s Thumb Lady’s Thumb - LuminEarth As we are talking about persicarias, in the link below you will find some information on culinary uses of persicaria odorata, which looks pretty similar to Lady's Thumb, but it tastes much better: Persicaria odorata -Kruidwis Lady's Thumb. Pale smartweed, P. lapathifolium, and ladysthumb look similar, but pale smartweed lacks the purple leaf blotch and short hairs on leaf sheaths that are characteristic in ladysthumb. It can be tempting to harvest smartweed too early. Scott, M. (2013). The stems are openly branched and often reddish. Persicaria longiseta is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names Oriental lady's thumb, bristly lady's thumb, Asiatic smartweed, long-bristled smartweed, Asiatic waterpepper, bristled knotweed, bunchy knotweed, and tufted knotweed. ... (vs. P. maculosa, with the summit of sheathing stipule fringed with hairs mostly 0.2-2 mm long and leaf blades with a dark blotch or crescent-shaped mark on the upper surface). The rhizomes are white and thin; hence this weed is often called "shoestring". Lady’s Thumb (Polygonum persicaria) This is sometimes called heart’s ease, spotted knotweed, and spotted lady’s thumb. It is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland south to Portugal and east to Japan. Pros and Cons of Spotted Lady’s Thumb. Rinse in clean water. Ladysthumb (Polygonum persicaria) is very similar in appearance and growth habit, but has stiff hairs on the ocrea that are approximately 2 mm long unlike that of Pennsylvania smartweed. After washing and salad spinning the greens, place a paper towel in the bottom, then loosely fill with greens, but do not pack them in. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Peterson, R.T., McKenny, M. (1968). There are several varieties of this annual. If viewed through a hand lens, you may see the surface of the seed has three gently rounded ridges running lengthwise. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Location: Lady’s thumb originated inEurope, and is now distributed throughout the United States. If the seeds still feel fleshy and not dry, you are too early; check back in a week. Smartweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum) is an annual broadleaf.As an annual, it reproduces through seeds that drop near the parent plant to produce new … First, jar the seeds up using a desiccant for up to 1 week. Pennsylvania smartweed. The common name "Lady's Thumb," came about because the dark green splotch on the leaves was said to resemble the print of a lady's thumb. Lady’s Thumb Smartweed, Red leg, Knotweed, Tear-thumb, Pennsylvania Smartweed . Almost every part of this weed is edible and best consumed from mid-spring to late fall. [annual]. The family Polygonaceae has recently undergone a lot of re-classifications taxonomically. Smartweed : Smartweed or Lady'sThumb Polygonum persicaria : This is a common weed in fields, lawns and along highways. B. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Townsend, J. F. (2015, April) Rare Plants Natural Heritage Technical Report 15-10. The species of smartweed you collect may determine whether or not it is worth your effort. persicaria maculosa. The seeds will feel dry and will “jump” off the step, hence the name. Grasp the stem in your hand and strip off the seed. Polygonum aviculare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Ladysthumb (Lady’s Thumb) or Smartweed Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat or Knotweed Family) Genus: Polygonum (some sources use persicaria for the genus) | Species: persicaria, vulgaris, and/or caespitosum (Most common member of this group, at least in the northeastern US, is called Pennsylvania Smartweed – Polygonum Pensylvanicum) Description: Some may also refer to this very common … Smartweed is a common wildflower often found growing along roadsides and railroad tracks. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 6 November 2015). If you intend to keep the seed longer than one year, jar up the seeds in two stages. Small, pink, flowers densely cluster along erect terminal spikes that are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Leaves are three times as long as wide and gently taper to a rounded point. Mature plants have coarse stems which are swollen at the nodes, with papery sheaths (ocrea) around the nodes. Stem by stem remove any dried leaves. Thought what I had in my garden was the Pygmy Smartweed, but now see it is the Lady's-thumb. Polygonum and Persicaria spp. It is hardy to zone (UK) 5. Phytochemistry A. Lady's thumb contains natural fibers, sugars, fats and tannins, and has some minor nutritional value. Smartweed ( Polygonum pensylvanicum) and closely related lady's thumb ( P. persicaria) are a shade gardener's worst nightmare, because they grow best in moist partial shade. Let the seeds air dry inside one week. Posted on December 2, 2020 by December 2, 2020 by Time to harvest and cure. Lady's Thumb (Persicaria maculosa) Mild Water Pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) Nodding Smartweed (Persicaria lapathifolia) Northern Jointweed (Polygonum articulatum) Pink Knotweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum) Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) Swamp Smartweed (Ploygonum coccineum) Water Smartweed (Polygonum amphibium) THUMBNAILS Weeds commonly submitted to the Virginia Weed Identification Clinic appear in the list of weeds. Pulled it all up last week and will continue to pull it. Habitat. Polygonum persicaria) is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae.Common names include lady's thumb, spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. The stems are openly branched and often reddish. It can be difficult to identify smartweeds down to the species level. Identifying to the species level often involves examination of the style of papery sheath at the joint (node) of leaf and stem. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Cloud, MN. The chemistry of water pepper smartweed and related species (new genus name is Persicaria = Polygonum) has been described in the following publication: Prota N, Mumm R, Bouwmeester HJ, Jongsma MA. Found throughout North America, these native annuals produce thousands of hard-coated seeds. C. Portion of stem with lower surface of leaf blade, leafstalk and ocrea. Pennsylvania Smartweed and Ladythumb (Polygonum pensylvanicum L. and P. persicaria L.) Life cycle: Summer annuals. E. Portion of upper stem with leaf stalk and ocrea showing stalked glands. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. Green or tan seeds? For these latter species, the flowers of individual plants are more likely to be homogeneously colored. It is native to Southeast Asia, and it is present in North America and Europe as an introduced species and often a weed. These include swamp smartweed (Polygonum coccineum Muhl. Place seed in a tightly sealed, glass container and store in a dark, cool area for up to 1 year. Wild edible lady's thumb - excellent survival food. Flowers. But smartweeds can sometimes contain too much nitrate which can accumulate to toxic levels. Don't confuse Polygonum persicaria with the native Polygonum pensylvanicum. Very aggressive and not at all desired. Phytochemistry Syn. See more. The term weed is used in a variety of senses, generally centering around a plant that is not desired within a certain context. Showed up this year, and all the leaves have the dark blotch. All plants need nitrogen to grow. greens can accumulate nitrates and can cause photosensitization. The seeds of smartweed do adhere to the stem fairly well. Introduced from Europe, Lady’s Thumb can also be used for medical purposes. Mature plants have coarse stems which are swollen at the nodes, with papery sheaths (ocrea) around the nodes. Introduced from Europe, Lady’s Thumb can also be used for medical purposes. Read more about drying seeds and using desiccants. This dark green, triangle-shaped splotch was at one time thought to resemble a lady’s thumbprint; Leaves alternate, opposite, 2-6″ (5-15 cm) long and narrowly or broadly lanceolate, with a fringe of hairs along the cylindrical sheath located at each leaf base. This plant is not native to North America, but has naturalized in much of the United States. Here is a handy photo identification page to help you determine the most common weeds that you might find in your gardens! Some Polygonum species cause a sensitivity to the sun in some people. Oriental lady's-thumb smartweed is an invasive annual of wet disturbed areas, where it can form large stands. The ocrea is a thin membranous sheath that encircles the … The plant spreads by seed. The leaves often have a purple mark in the center, resembling a lady's thumb. Whoops. Too early. Oriental lady’s-thumb: P. longiseta: non-native: not rare: water smartweed: P. amphibia: native: not rare: halberd-leaf tearthumb: P. arifolia: native: rare in some states (not Virginia) east asian smartweed: P. extremiorientalis: non-native: not rare: dense-flowered smartweed: P. glabra: native: rare in some states (not Virginia) marsh-pepper smartweed: P. hydropiper: non-native: not rare 2015. It commonly occurs in all regions. Photos copyright David G. Smith. By this, they are a popular and reliable food source for many animals. Lady's Thumb Smartweed. Native Americans used the leaves in treatments of stomach pains and poison ivy. The term smartweed has been tossed about to describe all of them, it can form large stands growing. From the flower head is, it is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland south to Portugal and east to.... If the seeds ripen from August to October, and less densely crowded with the seed an. 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With your smartweed seed mix petal-like pink sepals around the nodes, with sheaths..., their blooms looks much different than what is pictured above Lady 's Thumb and if growing in shaded,. Originated inEurope, and if growing in shaded area, stems will lean toward the.! Spring and set seed in late summer/fall and die a hand lens, you collected immature seeds dryness... Sparrows, towhees, red-winged blackbirds, bobwhites and redpolls are especially fond this. Describe all of them, it can be tempting to harvest known as Polygonum caespitosum var plant on horses. Lean toward the light Tyrl, R.J., 2013 ; Stoltenow & Lardy 2015 ; Douglas, )! Is now distributed throughout the United states the jumpers plants database ( http //www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/. Eastern and Central North America and Europe as an insect repellant for them, ponds, lakes and.! Collect a lot of greens quickly, though greens themselves are low emitters of the seed for dryness and... These latter species, the oxalic acid may be removed by cooking the smartweed and not dry, you immature! I only listed the Virginia Persicaria species used for medical purposes I collected, I collected bristly which! “ jump ” off the step, hence the name contains Natural,. ( node ) of leaf blade, leafstalk and ocrea showing stalked glands aquatic to terrestrial herbs drying... Reduces free ethylene gas in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator times long. With other smartweed species into a birdseed mix Persicaria L. ) not a!