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Polygonum articulatum L.

Common Name: JOINTWEED
Coefficient of Conservatism: 8
Coefficient of Wetness: 5
Wetness Index: UPL
Physiognomy: Nt A-Forb

Sandy banks, plains, and dunes, often in somewhat disturbed places such as dry roadsides. Common on the jack pine plains and also from Whitefish Point to the Huron Mountains along Lake Superior, where plants are relatively large and showy when blooming late in the summer. Very local in southernmost Michigan.

The perianth varies from white to red. Until the plants bloom (chiefly August-September), the peculiar segmented appearance of the immature inflorescences, with closely overlapping ocreolae but no buds yet evident, often arouses curiosity in those not familiar with the species.

Schuster, Reveal, & Kron (2011) show that this species is nested within the group of Polygonum containing other slender annual species such as P. douglasii and P. tenue.

A. A. Reznicek

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Counties
Alger
Allegan
Arenac
Barry
Bay
Benzie
Berrien
Cass
Cheboygan
Chippewa
Crawford
Delta
Emmet
Grand Traverse
Houghton
Huron
Iosco
Kalamazoo
Kalkaska
Kent
Keweenaw
Lake
Lapeer
Leelanau
Luce
Mackinac
Manistee
Marquette
Mason
Mecosta
Menominee
Missaukee
Montmorency
Muskegon
Newaygo
Oceana
Ogemaw
Oscoda
Otsego
Ottawa
Presque Isle
Roscommon
Schoolcraft
St. Clair
Washtenaw
Wexford

Citation:
MICHIGAN FLORA ONLINE. A. A. Reznicek, E. G. Voss, & B. S. Walters. February 2011. University of Michigan. Web. March, 17, 2025
https://lsa-miflora-p.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/#/record/2293