Persicaria punctata
Dotted smartweed
(c) aarongunnar, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by aarongunnar · licence
Family: Polygonaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Persicaria punctata (Dotted smartweed) is a native California perennial in the Polygonaceae family, recognized by interrupted spikes and gland-dotted appearance distinctive.
Dotted smartweed is a native perennial herb found in California in shallow water, shores, marshes, and floodplain forest at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces white to green flowers in small clusters 4 to 8 millimeters wide, with delicate pink or red anthers. Growing with ascending to erect stems 15 to 100 centimeters tall that are glabrous and gland-dotted, it spreads through rhizomes. Its lance-shaped leaves are 5 to 10 centimeters long with distinctive cylindric brown ocreae (leaf sheaths) 9 to 18 millimeters long, fringed with bristles 2 to 11 millimeters long. The fruit is a shiny, brown-black, lens-shaped structure 2 to 3.2 millimeters long that is either included within or slightly protruding from the flower.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; interrupted spikes and gland-dotted appearance distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Shallow water, shores, marshes, floodplain forest
Elevation: < 1500 m
California counties: Glenn, Kern, Monterey, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Calaveras, Sonoma, Marin, Amador, Del Norte, Imperial, Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Yolo, Yuba, Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Lake, Mendocino, Merced, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Colusa, Tehama, Shasta, Humboldt, Modoc, Inyo, El Dorado, Sacramento, Mono
Outside California: North America to South America
Bloom period
Persicaria punctata blooms Jun-Nov.
How to tell it apart
vs Polygonum: Persicaria has opaque stem sheaths; Polygonum has translucent sheaths that split into two lobes.; vs Rumex: Persicaria has spike-like pink/white flower clusters; Rumex has branched greenish flower clusters.; vs Trifolium: Persicaria has spike/head flower clusters and papery stem sheaths; Trifolium has clover heads and no sheaths.; vs Salix: Persicaria is an herb with flower spikes; Salix is a woody shrub with catkins.; vs Phytolacca: Persicaria has small pink/white flowers in spikes; Phytolacca has white-green flowers and dark purple berries.
Frequently asked questions
Is Persicaria punctata native to California?
Yes. Persicaria punctata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Persicaria punctata bloom?
Persicaria punctata blooms Jun-Nov.
Where in California does Persicaria punctata grow?
Persicaria punctata occurs in Glenn, Kern, Monterey, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Calaveras, Sonoma, Marin and other counties, at elevations of < 1500 m.
What plant family does Persicaria punctata belong to?
Persicaria punctata is in the Polygonaceae family, genus Persicaria.
What habitat does Persicaria punctata grow in?
Persicaria punctata grows in Shallow water, shores, marshes, floodplain forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Persicaria sp. — Smartweed
- Persicaria wallichii — Himalayan knotweed
- Persicaria amphibia — Water smartweed
- Persicaria capitata — Himalayan smartweed
- Persicaria hydropiper — Waterpepper
- Persicaria hydropiperoides — False waterpepper
- Polygonaceae sp. — Buckwheat family
- Polygonum argyrocoleon — Persian knotweed
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.