Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
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)
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