''Rumex persicarioides'' is a

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

dicot The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, t ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the family

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...

. This species flowers annually in the summer-time but on rare occasions it has been found to be

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

. ''R. persicarioides'' is not cultivated for human use and should not be confused with the similarly named genus '' Persicariae''.

Taxonomy

''Rumex persicarioides'' was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753. It has been treated as a variety of '' Rumex maritimus'' (as ''R. maritimus'' var. ''persicarioides'' by R. S. Mitchell), but is accepted as a full species by other sources, including the online ''Flora of North America''.

Description

''R. persicarioides'' stands erect at about 15–75 cm in height. The plant contains

papillose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

and

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

protrusions in its

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

and on the abaxial leaf blade. The stem is mostly inflorescent, with branching mostly starting a third of the way up from the base. Shorter plants start inflorescence at the base of the stem. Flowers of ''R. persicarioides'' are straw-colored and densely whorled at the distal most end of the inflorescence. The flowers consist of triangular

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s with tooth-like margins and brown fruiting

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

s. The

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

are threadlike and weakly visible, being 3-7mm in length. The leaves of ''R. persicarioides'' are long, thin

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

or oblong-lanceolate blades ranging from 5–25 cm in length with vaguely undulated or

entire margin This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

s. Leaf blades are either truncate or

cordate Cordate is an adjective meaning 'heart-shaped' and is most typically used for: * Cordate (leaf shape), in plants * Cordate axe, a prehistoric stone tool See also * Chordate A chordate () is an animal of the phylum Chordata (). All chordat ...

at the base and

acute Acute may refer to: Science and technology * Acute angle ** Acute triangle ** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology * Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset. ** Acute toxicity, the adverse eff ...

at the tip.

Distribution

''R. persicarioides'' thrives in wet and saline ecosystems, typically being found in coastal regions and

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

es. It is native to western Canada and the US (British Columbia, Oregon and California) and eastern Canada and the northeastern US (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York State).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15605482 persicarioides Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Connecticut Flora of Massachusetts Flora of New Brunswick Flora of New York (state) Flora of Nova Scotia Flora of Oregon Flora of Prince Edward Island Flora of Quebec Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status