''Persicaria virginiana'', also called jumpseed,
Virginia knotweed or woodland knotweed
is a North American species of
smartweed within the
buckwheat family
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...
. It is unusual as a shade-tolerant member of a mostly sun-loving genus. Jumpseed is a perennial, named for its seeds which can "
jump" several feet when a ripe seedpod is disturbed.
''Persicaria virginiana'' blooms in midsummer to late summer/early fall. It has a stalk of small white flowers.
Description
Like other ''Persicaria'', jumpseed has alternate leaves, with fine-hairy stipular sheaths (
ocrea
An ochrea (Latin ''ocrea'', greave or protective legging), also spelled ocrea, is a plant structure formed of stipules fused into a sheath surrounding the stem, and is typically found in the Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flower ...
) with bristle-fringed edges which often turn brownish. Flowers, widely spaced along slender stalks, are white to greenish-white, rarely pink-tinged, and fruiting flowers have 2 downward-pointing hook-tipped styles.
''Persicaria virginiana'' is easily distinguished from most other ''Persicaria'' species by its much larger, more oval-shaped leaves, although a few species also have large leaves. It sometimes has a
chevron-shaped marking on the leaves; often a single plant will have this marking on some leaves but not others.
Cultivars and naturalized populations from cultivation show much greater variation than wild-type plants, sometimes having variegation or have more involved red patterning, and sometimes having red or pink flowers.
Distribution and habitat
''Persicaria virginiana'' has a wide native range throughout most of eastern North America (from Ontario and Quebec, south to Florida, and west as far as Texas, Nebraska, and Minnesota/),
as well as Japan and the Himalayas.
[Barbara W. Ellis. ''Covering Ground: Unexpected Ideas for Landscaping with Colorful, Low-Maintenance Ground Covers.'' Storey Publishing, 2012]
p. 154.
It naturally occurs in full to partial shade, on riverbanks, woods, cliffs, and rocks.
Cultivation
Many variegated cultivars exist including 'Variegata' and 'Painter's Palette'.
The cultivated plant prefers medium to moist soil and full sun to part shade.
References
External links
*
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 2014
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5371639
virginiana
Flora of North America
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus