Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Persicaria hydropiper

Common name

Water pepper

Family

Polygonaceae

Where found

Disturbed sites, damp open places, along streams, swampy ground, and in shallow running water. Widespread.

Notes

Annual herb to 1.2 m high. Stems more or less hairless, often gland-dotted. Leaves alternating up the stems, 3–15 cm long, 8–30 mm wide, somewhat sticky, hairy on the veins and margins; stipular sheath (ocrea) with the upper margin mostly with fringing hairs 3–5 mm long. Leaves taste pungent and bitter. Flowers pale green to white, tinged pink, or reddish, with 4 or 5 'petals' each 2–3.8 mm long, free from each other for about two-thirds their length. 'Petals' with conspicuous oil glands. Spikes slender, often interrupted and hanging down, 3–18 cm long, each flower cluster distinct, with only 1 mature flower per cluster at a time. Flowers summer-autumn.

Treated as introduced in the ACT.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Persicaria~hydropiper (accessed 30 January, 2021)