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Knotweed

Polygonum (poh-lee-GON-um)

Family: Polygonaceae Native Herbaceous

About 130 species of Knotweed or Smartweed are known, and most are plants of disturbed, moist areas. They vary greatly, can be annuals or perennials, and are mostly found in northern temperate areas of the world. Most are considered weedy. Native varieties tend to grow partially immersed in shallow waters of marshes, swamps, wet forests or ditches. The small flowers are generally in terminal spikes. P . pensylvanicum and P. punctatum var. punctatum are native to North Carolina.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 38 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Native Plant; Perennial; Weed
Life cycle
Annual; Perennial
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Moist
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are lance-shaped, narrow and willow-like. The leaf bases form a sheath around the stem. Varies as per species.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower form
Spike
Flower detail
Small blooms from late summer to early fall that grow on terminal spikes. Varies as per species.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Brown/Copper; Cream/Tan; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
3-sided capsule is tan to reddish-brown to black in color with 1 seed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Cosmopolitan
Wildlife value
Food and habitat source for fish and wildlife.
Play value
Wildlife Cover/Habitat; Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule

Uses (ethnobotany)

Plants have been used in herbal medicine

Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Native Garden
Garden tags
#fall interest #NC native #summer flowers #pink flowers #high maintenance #full sun tolerant #wet soils intolerant #wet soils tolerant #white flowers #perennial #wildflower #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Weedy
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Propagation
Division

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.