| Plant Description: | |  |
| Name: | prostrate knotweed |
| Scientific Name: | Polygonum aviculare |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Type: | Broadleaf |
| Lifecycle: | Summer Annual |
| Habit: | Emerges in the early spring, but can continue to emerge in the late spring and summer as well. Flowering occurs from June through November.
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| Leaves: | Leaves begin looking almost grass-like leaves and have a waxy whitish coating. Mature leaves are broad leaves that are narrowed at the base, ranging from lanceolate, elliptic to oblong shapes. The petioles are short and have a conspicuous ocrea sheathing the stem at the leaf base.
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| Leaf Arrangement: | Alternate |
| Characteristics: | The plant forms mats or clusters of dead mesh-like stems that remain throughout the winter. |
| Flower Seed Head: | Flowers appear in 1 to 5 axillary clusters. They are small white to green with some pinkish margins, lacking petals. |
| Seed Fruit: | The friut contains the seed (achene). Achense are about 2 to 3 mm long teardrop-shaped with dark reddish brown to black coloring. |
| Where Found: | Prostrate knotweed can infest turfgrass, nursery crops, landscapes, and areas that is damaged by traffic such as pathways. Grows good in stressed areas. |