Water Pepper

Water Pepper

Polygonum hydropiper L.

Polygonaceae (Smartweed Family)

▲ ▼ mature plants

▲ ▼ flowering mature plants

▲ ▼ inflorescences showing spacing between flowers

▲ stem, leaves and ochrea

Water pepper:

  • summer annual, similar to Pennsylvania smartweed in appearance, but leaves are narrower and sometimes longer, and inflorescence has individual florets more spaced out on the main rachis
  • not usually a weed problem--a native plant of streambanks and wetland areas

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