Sunday, October 25, 2009

Could be lady's thumb, or Pennsylvania smartweed, or tufted knotweed. Anyone know for sure?

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4 comments:

  1. I have tons of this stuff in one corner of my yard. Trying to decide what it is and if I should let it stay. It is kind of pretty....

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  2. my gardener pal calls it lady's slipper and to get ride of it-- it takes over.

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  3. It's lady's thumb / knotweed / smartweed / etc. the leaves and pink flower clusters are edible and nutty-tasting

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  4. Thanks Brian Heagney. But... aren't those three plants (lady's thumb, knotweed, and smartweed) different? The always helpful Google search tells me this:

    Lady's thumb = Persicaria vulgaris
    Japanese knotweed = Polygonum cuspidatum
    Smartweed = Persicaria lapathifolium

    So my question remains: which of these three types do I have in my yard?

    Or are botanists just messing with our heads by giving different names to essentially the same plant?

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