Persicaria maculosa Gray
lady's-thumb
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jim Riley     (Photo ID #15480)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Persicaria maculosa
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems prostrate to erect, solitary, simple or branched, 30-100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, lanceolate, the blades 3-10 cm long, smooth to appressed hairy, usually with a purplish spot near midlength, the stalks short, thick; stipules cylindric-conic, 5-15 mm long, entire, appressed hairy, fringed with bristly hairs at the tips.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of many flowers in crowded, cylindric, compound racemes; perianths pink or purplish, rarely white, 1.5-3.5 mm long, 5-lobed nearly to the base.
Fruits:
Achenes, 3-angled or lens-shaped, 2-3 mm long, egg-shaped to roundish, nearly black, smooth, shiny.
Notes:
Sometimes difficult to separate from P. hydropiperoides.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Persicaria maculosa

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

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
837 350 1126
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 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
3
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BG(1), IDF(2)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry roadsides, ditches, fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in SW BC, infrequent in SC and SE BC, rare northward along the coast; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Persicaria maculata (Raf.) S.F. Gray
Polygonum persicaria L.