Water Pepper
Polygonum hydropiper L.
Polygonaceae (Smartweed Family)
▲ ▼ mature plants
▲ ▼ flowering mature plants
▲ ▼ inflorescences showing spacing between flowers
▲ stem, leaves and ochrea
water pepper:
o summer annual, similar to Pennsylvania smartweed in appearance, but leaves are narrower and sometimes longer, and inflorescence has individual florets more spaced out on the main rachis
o not usually a weed problem—a native plant of streambanks and wetland areas