E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Persicaria hydropiperoides (Michx.) Small
water-pepper
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Persicaria hydropiperoides
Click here to view our interactive map and legend

Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.

Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems ascending to erect, several, simple, rooting freely, 20-100 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, smooth to appressed hairy, the blades 5-12 cm long, slightly reduced upward, the stalks short; stipules 1-2 cm long, appressed hairy and fringed with hairs at the top.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of 2 or sometimes 3, slender, spikelike racemes, 6-10 cm long; perianths greenish to white or pinkish, 2.5-3 mm long, 5-lobed slightly more than 1/2 the distance to the base; stamens 8.

Fruits:
Achenes, 3-angled, brown or black, smooth and shiny, 2.5-3 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet swampy sites, shorelines and shallow water in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC; E to NB and NS and S to FL, TX and MX; S. America.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Persicaria hydropiperoides

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	990	1035	1080
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	0
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	7	7	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	2
Modal BEC Zone Class	IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	IDF(2)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S4S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Persicaria hydropiperoides var. breviciliata (Fernald) C.F. Reed
Persicaria hydropiperoides var. euronotora (Fernald) C.F. Reed
Persicaria hydropiperoides var. opelousana (Riddell ex Small) J.S. Wilson
Persicaria opelousana (Riddell ex Small) Small
Persicaria paludicola Small
Persicaria persicarioides (Kunth) Small
Polygonum hydropiperoides Michx.
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. adenocalyx (Stanford) Gleason
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. asperifolium Stanford
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. breviciliatum Fernald
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. bushianum Stanford
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. digitatum Fernald
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. euronotorum Fernald
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. hydropiperoides
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. opelousanum (Riddell ex Small) Riddell ex W. Stone
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. psilostachyum H. St. John
Polygonum hydropiperoides var. strigosum (Small) Stanford
Polygonum opelousanum Riddell ex Small
Polygonum opelousanum var. adenocalyx Stanford
Polygonum persicarioides Kunth

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Polygonaceae
Flora North America treatment for Persicaria hydropiperoides
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 11:57:23 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.