Polygonum scandens (Climbing False Buckwheat)

Polygonum scandens

Polygonum scandens L.

Climbing False Buckwheat

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Polygonaceae	Knotweed or smartweed family
Genus	Polygonum	Greek poly, “many,” and gonu, “knee,” for the swollen jointed stems
Species	scandens	“Climbing”

About plant names...

Climbing buckwheat is a common, robust North American native. The genus Polygonum means ”many knees”—a reference to the jointed sheaths the are found wherever leaf stems meet the vine.

Identification: These vines twist and clamber rapidly over other plants, reaching lengths up to 20' (6.1 m). The green vines often turn deep red in the sun, and are hairless. Leaves are ovate (heart-shaped), almost sagittate (arrowhead-shaped), sharp-tipped, alternate, up to 2" (5 cm) × 4" (10 cm). Where each leaf stem attaches to the vine, the vine is somewhat swollen, forming a sort of protective sheath. Leaf stems are up to 1½" (3.8 cm) long. The flower clusters (racemes) are 2-8" (5-20 cm) long, composed of greenish, rather unflowerlike flowers bordered with three tepals that are the fruit. Flowers are ¼" (8.5 mm) around; so are the fruits, which are also greenish and bordered with white or pink.

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm) ID is uncertain

6/28/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, MA
≈ 4 × 5" (10 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

Some similar species:

	*Convolvulus arvensis*	*Calystegia sepium*	*Polygonum convolvulus*
Common Name	Field Bindweed	Hedge Morning Glory	Black Bindweed
Plant	Vines are 20-79" (50-200 cm) high.	Vine up to 12’ in length, stem light green or red	Vine up to 3' (1 m) long. At leaf nodes there is an ocrea.
Flowers	Trumpet-shaped, ⅜-⅞" (1-2.5 cm) in diameter, and white or pale pink. Small bracts are separate from the flowers.	Trumpet-shaped, up to 3” across, white or pink and white, with a yellow throat	Small, greenish-pink to greenish-white, in racemes (bunches); individual flowers are ⅛" (4 mm) long, racemes are up to 2½" (6.3 cm) long
Leaves	¾-1¾" (2-5 cm) × ⅜-1" (1-3 cm) wide, either linear or shaped like arrowheads (sagittate).	Shaped like arrowheads (sagittate)	Alternate, triangular or heart-shaped, lower corners of leaves aim *inward toward the petiole (leaf stem)*
Fruit	Seeds ⅛" (3.2 mm) long, with two flat sides and a convex side, like an orange segment.	Nearly round, in pairs, like segments of an orange	Three-sided, with a single dull black seed
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild

	You are here Polygonum scandens
Common Name	Climbing False Buckwheat
Plant	Vines up to 20' (6.1 m) long. Stems are light green to bright red, almost hairless. Where leaves attach to the stem, there is a protective sheath, or ocrea
Flowers	Racemes are 2-8" (5-20 cm) long, with small greenish flowers.
Leaves	Ovate, approaching sagittate (shaped like an arrowhead), up to 2" (5 cm) × 4" (10 cm). Leaf petioles are up to 1½" (3.8 cm) long
Fruit	Greenish, with white or pink borders.
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild