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Polygonum pinicola
Tall Jointweed
Synonym(s): Polygonella gracilis
Florida native
A frequent wildflower of sandhills, dunes and scrub throughout much of Florida. The range extends through the southeastern coastal states from Mississippi into North Carolina.
The thin, usually branching glabrous stems of this annual can reach from 8-16dm (31-63 in.) tall. The leaves, which are deciduous and usually absent when Polygonum pinicola is flowering, are variable in shape, usually 19-39mm (3/4 to 1-1/2 in.) long and 0.8-5mm (less than 1/4 in.) wide. The tiny flowers of tall jointweed are functionally unisexual - they have both male and female parts, but in each flower only one sex or the other works. The flowers appear almost similar, white, with both the inner and outer sepals loosely appressed. The styles and stigmas are very short and the anthers are red. Female flowers may sometimes be a bit pink, and/or have erose margins. Female flowers may also be more open when mature. The fruit is a tiny reddish-brown or yellow-brown achene.
Polygonum pinicola is a member of the Polygonaceae - Buckwheat family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 06, 2018
