Smartweed February Plant of the Month at Hagerman NWR

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Pennsylvania Smartweed at HNWR, by Philip Jones

Smartweed is a plant that is native to the lower 48 states and Alaska in the U.S. as well as in much of Canada.  When Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge was first established, smartweed seed was among the 10 - 15 tons of seeds of various plants sent by the Fish and Wildlife Service to both Hagerman and Tishomingo national wildlife refuges, to be planted at both refuges along the edges of newly built Lake Texoma (Denison Herald, February 18, 1945).  Since February is the anniversary month for the establishment of the Refuge, we chose Smartweed as the featured plant this month.

According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, smartweed is in the buckwheat family and is important to waterfowl and other birds, which use it for food and cover. 

At least 50 species of birds have been observed feeding on the seeds, including ducks, geese, rails, bobwhites, mourning dove, and ring-necked pheasant. The seeds and other parts are eaten by mammals such as the white-footed mouse, muskrat, raccoon, and fox squirrel. (Wikipedia)

Great Egret in Field of Smartweed at HNWR, by Kim Morris

The Wildflower Center notes that about 75 species of smartweeds occur in North America.  Pink blooming Polygonum pensylvanicum, and white blooming smartweed, Polygonum lapathifolium,
can be found on the Refuge. We know this because thanks to the birds, we also have volunteer plants of both species in the Butterfly Garden each summer.

Pennsylvania, or pink, smartweed, is mainly  identified by spikes of numerous flowers and encircling leaf sheaths.  The white blooming smartweed is also known as Curlytop knotweed, and Pale Smartweed.  Pale Smartweed (P. lapathifolium), is closely related to Pink Smartweed and has white or pale rose, arching flower spikes and usually smooth stems. Both are found in gardens as well as in damp waste places and wetlands.   The plant is annual, so watch for it to come back from seed this spring. The bloom-time is March-May.

Smartweed - Dining for Ducks

Smartweed grows in freshwater marshes and low places, including those at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.  The seeds provide fine dining for waterfowl.   According to NPIN, Ladybird John WildflowerCenter, there are about 75 species of Smartweed  in the US.  Smartweed is  in the genus Polygonum and  is native in the U.S., including Alaska, and in Canada.

Smartweed at HNWR, by Dick Malnory

From  a website on Texas duck hunting, we learn that  

…various Smartweed species colloquially known as Smartweed, Knotweed, Ladysthumb, Bindweed, Tearthumb or Bistort, can be very difficult to identify by specie, as they appear very similar and will hybridize with one another.  The ones of most interest to duck hunters [and to ducks!] all have very pale pink (almost white) to deep pink clusters of flowers at the terminal end of multiple flower spikes. All have long, rather thin leaves. All have a ring formed around the stalk where the leaf stem joins the stalk, and the stalk bends at each of these many junctures. These bends somewhat look like knees, and give the plant its genus name.  Literally translated, Polygonum means; many knees.  

The flowers of the various species  may be greenish white, white or pink.  Some species are annual and some perennial.  One perennial species is described at  http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/smartweed/ and is commonly known as Water Pepper.  A common species, Pennsylvania Smartweed, is annual and is described at http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=POPE2.

According to  a commercial site for Pennsylvania Smartweed:  

The nectar of the flower attracts many different insect species including long and short-tongued bees, small butterflies and moths. In addition it is an excellent food for waterfowl including ducks, geese, doves, and other game and non-game species. Furthermore, the dense foliage provides excellent cover for immature waterfowl, marsh birds, and wintering pheasants.