Pennsylvania Smart Weed Plant

Pennsylvania Smartweed, Persicaria Pennsylvania, is found in many agricultural regions of the state and conditions in the mid-west. It comes from the buckwheat family.

Hardy Planting Zone

Smartweed does well in any moist area. It is very hardy and can tolerate sun or partial shade. Smartweed is often found in agricultural areas and grows explosively in water basins that have receding waterlines. It loves any moist conditions and is an important food source for aquatic birds.

Bloom Season and Color

The flower of the Pennsylvania Smartweed are greenish-white or may be rosy pink. They are about an eighth of an inch long and contain five petals. The flowers appear nearly stalkless. They grow in elongated clusters. Blooms appear May through October.

Height at Maturity

Pennsylvania Smartweed is a low-growing plant. The height at maturity can be from 30 to 120 centimeters. It produces a vast amount of seed that will repopulate the plant the next season. It must have 60 days of cold weather.

Soil Type Preferred

This plant is good ground cover around lakes and ponds. It doesn’t tolerate drought but will flourish in areas that have to ebb and flowing water levels. It’s excellent for those raising ducks, geese, or waterfowl and will be a replenishable food source for them.

Moist soil is a must for Pennsylvania Smartweed. It does best in marshy ground and will not grow in hard soil or deep water. A few inches of water is fine. It can be grown with flood or overhead irrigation.

Sun or Shade

Smartweed will not grow in complete shade but does well in full sun or partial shade.

Plant Description

Pennsylvania Smartweed is a prevalent wildflower. It is distinguishable by its elongated clusters of spiky light-pink flowers. The stem is very thin, vibrant green, and has a sticky, hairy stem. Leaves are narrow and measure 10 to 15 centimeters. Leaves are identified by a dark green smudge that spans across the midpoint of a light-green vein.