Mild Water Pepper

(Polygonum hydropiperoides)

Mild Water Pepper (Polygonum hydropiperoides Michx.)

Identification: Flowers white (rarely pink), small, arranged in a sparsely packed spike with clear interruptions between the flowers. Flower spikes erect. Stem swollen at the junction of a leaf and the stem, and with a papery sheath around the stem. Upper margin of the sheath with a fringe of hairlike spines. Stem and swollen nodes usually reddish. Stem without small, glandular hairs. Leaves elongate, narrow, tapering toward both the base and the apex, without a petiole. Plant 1 to 3 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America.

Habitat: Mild Water Pepper is usually found in wet areas, swamps, roadside ditches, and along rivers and lakes.

Flowering period: June to November.

Similar Species: Mild Water Pepper is very similar to Common Smartweed. However the leaves of Common Smartweed have an extremely peppery taste. The sheath bristles are either short or lacking. The flower spikes of Mild Water Pepper are usually erect while those of Common Smartweed are usually bent over or nodding.