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Introductory

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
ABBREVIATION : POLSPP SYNONYMS : NO-ENTRY SCS PLANT CODE : POLYG4 COMMON NAMES : smartweed knotweed bindweed pinkweed jumpseed TAXONOMY : The currently accepted genus name for smartweed is Polygonum L. (Polygonaceae) [15]. There may be as many as 150 species in this genus [20]. This report treats smartweed at the genus level, with the mention of certain species where appropriate. LIFE FORM : Shrub, Forb FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : See OTHER STATUS OTHER STATUS : P. marinense, found only in Marin County, California, is listed in the Federal Register under Category 2 [11,34]. Other species with special status include P. fusiforme, P. montereyense, and P. pensylvanicum var. eglandulosum [34]. COMPILED BY AND DATE : S. A. Snyder, June 1992 LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : NO-ENTRY AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : Snyder, S. A. 1992. Polygonum spp. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : Smartweed is a cosmopolitan genus found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In North America it is distributed from the Northwest Territories south through Mexico and from coast to coast [15]. It is found in Alaska and all the contiguous United States; it is probably found in Hawaii also, although there is no specific reference to its occurrence there. ECOSYSTEMS : FRES11 Spruce - fir FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine FRES14 Oak - pine FRES20 Douglas-fir FRES21 Ponderosa pine FRES29 Sagebrush FRES30 Desert shrub FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub FRES35 Pinyon - juniper FRES36 Mountain grasslands FRES37 Mountain meadows FRES38 Plains grasslands FRES39 Prairie FRES40 Desert grasslands FRES41 Wet grasslands FRES42 Annual grasslands FRES44 Alpine STATES : AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY AB BC LB MB NB NF NS ON PQ SK YT MEXICO ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : NO-ENTRY BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 1 Northern Pacific Border 2 Cascade Mountains 3 Southern Pacific Border 4 Sierra Mountains 5 Columbia Plateau 6 Upper Basin and Range 7 Lower Basin and Range 8 Northern Rocky Mountains 9 Middle Rocky Mountains 10 Wyoming Basin 11 Southern Rocky Mountains 12 Colorado Plateau 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont 14 Great Plains 15 Black Hills Uplift 16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : K011 Western ponderosa forest K012 Douglas-fir forest K015 Western spruce - fir forest K016 Eastern ponderosa forest K017 Black Hills pine forest K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest K019 Arizona pine forest K020 Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland K035 Coastal sagebrush K037 Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub K038 Great Basin sagebrush K039 Blackbrush K040 Saltbush - greasewood K041 Creosotebush K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking K048 California steppe K049 Tule marshes K052 Alpine meadows and barren K055 Sagebrush steppe K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe K057 Galleta - threeawn shrubsteppe K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna K063 Foothills prairie K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass K065 Grama - buffalograss K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass K069 Bluestem - grama prairie K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie K071 Shinnery K072 Sea oats prairie K074 Bluestem prairie K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie K080 Marl - Everglades K081 Oak savanna K092 Everglades K098 Northern floodplain forest SAF COVER TYPES : 16 Aspen 80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine 83 Longleaf pine - slash pine 210 Interior Douglas-fir 217 Aspen 237 Interior ponderosa pine SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : NO-ENTRY HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : Polygonum bistortoides is named as a community component in the following plant community typing: A meadow site classification for the Sierra Nevada, California [30]

VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Smartweed is an important wildlife food for deer and waterfowl [19,22,29,32]. In northwest Missouri, smartweed accounts for 85 percent of mallard diets in certain habitats [18]. Smartweed ranks third of all plants consumed during fall in other parts of Missouri [13]. PALATABILITY : Some species of smartweed provide poor to good forage for cattle, sheep, and horses in the western states [12]. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : NO-ENTRY COVER VALUE : Some species of smartweed provide poor to good cover for upland game birds, waterfowl, nongame birds, and small mammals [12]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : NO-ENTRY OTHER USES AND VALUES : NO-ENTRY MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Many species of smartweed are considered undesirable weeds [20]. Smartweed invades cultivated raspberry patches and agricultural fields. It can be controlled with chemicals such as Roundup, Casoron, Princep, and Gramoxone [9]. Smartweed tends to be eliminated when wetlands are converted into agricultural land [25]. To maintain smartweed for waterfowl food in irrigated desert playas of the southern high plains, soil must be moist during early April. These playas must also be kept moist from mid to late June and early August. From November to January, 1 foot of water should be maintained in the playa [19].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Smartweed is a highly variable genus, which includes annual or perennial forbs and shrubs [15]. Some species are viney. The leaves are usually simple and alternate. The pink, green, or white flowers have jointed stalks and stems have swollen nodes [17]. Flowers can be either perfect or imperfect. The fruit is a three- or four-angled achene [20]. Some species have rhizomes or taproots [35]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Chamaephyte Cryptophyte: Geophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Smartweed reproduces by seed and by rhizomes. The average number of seeds for P. hydropiperoides collected on the Texas Gulf Coast was 581 pounds per acre (650 kg/ha) dry weight [32]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Smartweed species are mostly found in wetlands, sandy beaches, saline or brackish ponds and marshes, and in inundated swales and marshes [15]. They can also be found in cultivated fields, thickets, swampy woods, clearings, wastelands, along roadsides, in prairies, and on rocky, dry or cool and damp slopes. Some species grow in alpine or subalpine meadows and on rocky summits [15]. P. careyi is reported to occur on recent burns. Elevational ranges for some western species of smartweed have been listed as follows [12]: Utah: from 4,200 to 12,300 feet (1,280-3,750 m) Colorado: from 3,500 to 13,400 feet (1,067-4,085 m) Wyoming: from 3,500 to 12,000 feet (1,067-3,660 m) Montana: from 2,800 to 10,500 feet (853-3,200 m) SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Many smartweed species are introduced, while others are native to North America. Most are shade intolerant [15]. P. cilinode appears to be dominant on severely burned forested areas of northern Minnesota for the first three postfire seasons [1]. Some species of smartweeed are dominant in the nonpersistent emergent marsh communities of the Savannah River in South Carolina [27]. P. coccineum is an indicator of fire in wetlands [28]. Other species of smartweed are early seral species which dominate sites for the first 5 to 7 postdisturbance years [2]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Flowering dates for smartweed species vary. Most of the southern species flower in May and June, while their northern counterparts flower from July through November. Some species in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma can flower as late as November [15].

FIRE ECOLOGY

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : Smartweed can reproduce by seed or sprout from rhizomes following fire [1]. POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : survivor species; on-site surviving rhizomes off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2

FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Fire top-kills smartweed. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Smartweeds usually sprout from seeds following fire. They tend to reproduce more after severe burns than after light burns [1,10]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : P. cilinode, an annual, has been known to colonize severely burned sites in the forests of northeastern Minnesota [1]. August wildfires in the pine forests of northern Minnesota resulted in an increase of P. cilinode from zero percent cover on the unburned sites to 36 percent ground cover on the burned sites [4]. P. bistortoides was present following wildfires in krummholz and alpine meadows of the central Rocky Mountains [7]. P. convolvulus sprouted from seed following a May prescribed burn in shrub communities of central Alberta. However, this species was only prevalent for the first postfire year [3]. Fire was simulated in northern Alberta wetlands to monitor its potential effects on the plant community. Here, P. amphibium was almost equal in percent cover for the three treatments: no burn, "light burn," and "deep" burn in willow (Salix spp.) savanna zones [21]. ("Deep burns" had the first 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) of soil removed and the new surface burned with a propane torch for 1 minute; "light burns" had some soil removed and the new surface lightly burned with a propane torch). In the pinegrass (Calamagrostis spp.) zones of these same Alberta wetlands, P. amphibium was found in trace amounts on the unburned and lightly burned sites, and not at all on the "deeply" burned sites. Prescribed fires on sagebrush (Artemesia spp.)-grass (Poaceae) ranges in northern Idaho showed significant differences in P. douglasii cover between the light to moderately burned and severely burned sites [8]. Only 7 pounds/acre (7.83 kg/ha) of this species was found on unburned sites, while 26 pounds/acre (29 kg/ha) were found on severely burned sites. Smaller differences in cover were shown for light and moderately burned areas compared to unburned sites. FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Where smartweed is a desired waterfowl food fire can be used to stimulate the growth of smartweeds while reducing competition from sedge (Carex spp.), cattail (Typha spp.), and giant reed (Phragmites spp.) [23].

REFERENCES

SPECIES: Polygonum spp. | Smartweed
REFERENCES : 1. Ahlgren, Clifford E. 1960. Some effects of fire on reproduction and growth of vegetation in northeastern Minnesota. Ecology. 41(3): 431-445. [207] 2. Ahlgren, Clifford E. 1979. Buried seed in the forest floor of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Minnesota Forestry Research Note No. 271. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, College of Forestry. 4 p. [3459] 3. Anderson, Murray L.; Bailey, Arthur W. 1979. Effect of fire on a Symphoricarpos occidentalis shrub community in central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Botany. 57: 2820-2823. [2867] 4. Apfelbaum, Steven; Haney, Alan. 1981. Bird populations before and after wildfire in a Great Lakes pine forest. Condor. 83: 347-354. [8556] 5. Barth, Richard C. 1970. Revegetation after a subalpine wildfire. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. 142 p. Thesis. [12458] 6. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434] 7. Billings, W. D. 1969. Vegetational pattern near alpine timberline as affected by fire-snowdrift interactions. Vegetatio. 19: 192-207. [12824] 8. Blaisdell, James P. 1953. Ecological effects of planned burning of sagebrush-grass range on the upper Snake River Plains. Tech. Bull. 1975. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 39 p. [462] 9. Bonanno, A. Richard x. 1987. Raspberry and blackberry weed management in Michigan. In: 117th annual report, Michigan State Horticulture Society: 177-182. [7059] 10. Bushey, Charles L.; Kilgore, Bruce M. 1985. Sagebrush-grass vegetative, fuel, & fire behav. parameters: (prelim. results from the demonstr. of prescr. burning on selected BLM dists). Missoula, MT: Systems for Environmental Management. 97 p. [569] 11. Clark, Ronilee A.; Fellers, Gary M. 1986. Rare plants of Point Reyes National Seashore. Tech. Rep. No. 22. Davis, CA: University of California, Institute of Ecology; San Francisco, CA: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Western Region. 117 p. [18096] 12. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806] 13. Drobney, Ronald D.; Fredrickson, Leigh H. 1979. Food selection by wood ducks in relation to breeding status. Journal of Wildlife Management. 43(1): 109-120. [17727] 14. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905] 15. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p. (Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny Series; vol. 2). [14935] 16. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998] 17. Godfrey, Robert K.; Wooten, Jean W. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States: Dicotyledons. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 933 p. [16907] 18. Gruenhagen, Ned M.; Fredrickson, Leigh H. 1990. Food use by migratory female mallards in northwest Missouri. Journal of Wildlife Management. 54(4): 622-626. [17427] 19. Haukos, David A.; Smith, Loren M. 1991. Vegetation management in playa lakes for wintering waterfowl. Management Note 14. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University, College of AgriculturalSciences, Department of Range and Wildlife Management. 3 p. [16872] 20. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1964. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 2: Salicaceae to Saxifragaceae. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 597 p. [1166] 21. Hogenbirk, John C.; Wein, Ross W. 1991. Fire and drought experiments in northern wetlands: a climate change analogue. Canadian Journal of Botany. 69: 1991-1997. [17127] 22. Hungerford, C. R. 1970. Response of Kaibab mule deer to management of summer range. Journal of Wildlife Management. 34(40): 852-862. [1219] 23. Kantrud, Harold A. 1990. Effects of vegetation manipulation on breeding waterfowl in prairie wetlands--a literature review. In: Severson, Kieth E., tech. coord. Can livestock be used as a tool to enhance wildlife habitat?: Proceedings, 43rd annual meeting of the Society for Range Managememt; 1990 February 13; Reno, NV. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-194. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 93-123. [16001] 24. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384] 25. Lee, Mary Ann. 1991. Remnant wetland seed banks and restoration. Restoration & Management Notes. 9(1): 42-43. [15702] 26. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No. 14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496] 27. Mathews, N. E.; Dyer, K. W. 1990. Floodplain vegetation phenology in the southeast USA: Optimizing the timing of aerial imagery acquisition. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 1(2): 65-72. [17927] 28. Millar, J. B. 1973. Vegetation changes in shallow marsh wetlands under improving moisture regimes. Canadian Journal of Botany. 51: 1443-1457. [14589] 29. Neff, Don J. 1974. Forage preferences of trained deer on the Beaver Creek watersheds. Special Report No. 4. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Game and Fish Department. 61 p. [162] 30. Ratliff, Raymond D. 1982. A meadow site classification for the Sierra Nevada, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-60. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 16 p. [1941] 31. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843] 32. Singleton, J. R. 1951. Production and utilization of waterfowl food plants on the east Texas Gulf Coast. Journal of Wildlife Management. 15(1): 46-56. [14536] 33. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982. National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names. SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573] 34. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990. 50 CFR Pt 17. Endangered & threatened wildlife & plants; review of plant taxa for listing as endangered or threatened species; notice of review. Federal Register. 55(35): 6184-6229. [14528] 35. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]

Index

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