States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Water Smartweed

Persicaria amphibia

76
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
1–3 feet
Light
Sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Spread and leaves: no source found yet.

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

Recorded in 29 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 134 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

49CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Polygonum

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Anaplectoides prasinaGreen Arches Dart
  • Anticlea multiferataMany-Lined Carpet
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis virgunculaLittle Tiger Moth
  • Archips semiferanusOak Leafroller Moth
  • Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
Show all 49
  • Chionodes discoocellellaEyeringed Chionodes
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Coleophora cratipennellaStreaked Coleophora
  • 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
  • Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
  • 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
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar 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
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
  • Schinia spinosaeSpinose Flower Moth
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
  • Monochroa pullusella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
34BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Persicaria

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Polygonaceae
Flower color
Yellow

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Polygonum amphibium; Polygonum coccineum; knotweed

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources