Bellard's Smartweed

Polygonum patulum

Found on ballast, presumably just a waif. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 12%

Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

County records are not available.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

43CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Polygonum

Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Anticlea multiferataMany-Lined Carpet
Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
Archips semiferanusOak Leafroller Moth
Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
Chionodes discoocellellaEyeringed Chionodes
Coleophora cratipennellaStreaked Coleophora

Show all 43

Costaconvexa centrostrigariaBent-Lined Carpet
Dypterygia rozmaniAmerican Bird's-Wing
Elophila icciusalisPondside Pyralid, Pondside Crambid
Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Homophoberia apicosaBlack Wedge-Spot, Smartweed Groundling
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Metarranthis duariaRuddy Metarranthis
Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
Schinia scissoidesDivided Flower Moth
Schinia spinosaeSpinose Flower Moth
Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Aroga alleriella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

58BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Polygonum

Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Aix sponsaWood Duck
Alectoris chukarChukar
Anas acutaNorthern Pintail
Anas creccaGreen-winged Teal
Anas platyrhynchosMallard
Anser albifronsGreater White-fronted Goose
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Aythya affinisLesser Scaup
Aythya americanaRedhead

Show all 58

Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
Aythya valisineriaCanvasback
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Bucephala clangulaCommon Goldeneye
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columba liviaRock Pigeon
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Coturnicops noveboracensisYellow Rail
Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Dendrocygna autumnalisBlack-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
Eremophila alpestrisHorned Lark
Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Oxyura jamaicensisRuddy Duck
Passer domesticusHouse Sparrow
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Porzana carolinaSora
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Rallus elegansKing Rail
Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail
Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Polygonaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	Not available
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source

Native alternatives

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