Dotted smartweed

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Dotted smartweed

Dotted smartweed inflorescences

Dotted smartweed stipule

Dotted smartweed

Dotted smartweed leaves

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, simple or branched; lower branches often decumbent and rooting at nodes.

Leaves

Alternate, lanceolate to elliptic, 1 to 6 inches long, up to 4.5 inch wide, tapered at both ends, short-stalked; stipules cylindric, with long bristles on top margin.

Inflorescence

Raceme, single or few, slender, erect or drooping, 1.5 to 4 inches long, 1/5 inch wide, terminal; flowers not crowded, lower ones often irregularly spaced.

Flower

Perianth bases greenish, lobes whitish; covered with tiny glandular dots; stamens and styles not extending beyond perianth lobes.

Fruit

Achene, 3-angled or lens-shaped, dark.

Ecology

Habitat

Marshes, stream edges, wet ditches, and pond and lake shores.

Distribution

East 4/5 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans treated stomach pains with a decoction of dotted smartweed leaves and flowers.

Additional Notes