Persicaria lapathifolia
A stout annual of damp bare ground, sprawling to upright and reaching about a metre, with jointed stems swollen at the nodes and often flushed reddish. Lance-shaped leaves taper to a fine point and are frequently white-felted beneath, and the dense, slightly nodding flower spikes are greenish-white to dull pink rather than the clear pink of Redshank. Young leaves and shoots are eaten cooked, and the ripe nutlets can be gathered as a small grain.
A plant of freshly disturbed, nutrient-rich damp soil: arable field margins, muck heaps and gateways, riverbanks, drawdown zones around ponds and reservoirs, and damp waste ground. Common and widespread throughout lowland Britain and Ireland, scarcer on high ground.
No significant toxicity is recorded, but the leaves carry oxalic acid and are better cooked and eaten in moderation, particularly by anyone prone to kidney stones. The same damp ground holds Water-pepper (Persicaria hydropiper), whose leaves have a fierce burning bite; a peppery mouthful means a different plant. Arable margins where this grows are routinely sprayed.
Always use more than one reference to confirm a plant. You are responsible for what you choose to forage.
Dense spikes of pale flowers
The flowers pack into thick, blunt spikes that are greenish-white to washed-out pink and often nod or droop. This paleness separates it from Redshank, whose spikes are a clearer rose-pink.
Lance-shaped leaves, often white beneath
The leaves taper to a point and frequently have a whitish, mealy or felted underside. Many carry a dark blotch near the centre, but that blotch appears on several related species and settles nothing on its own.
Sheathing ochreae with little or no fringe
Where each leaf joins the stem, a papery tube (the ochrea) clasps the node. On this plant it is fringed with only very short hairs, or none — the closely similar Redshank has a distinct fringe of long hairs around the same tube. This is the most reliable single test.
Yellow-glandular flower stalks
Look closely at the stalks just below the flower spikes: they are dotted with tiny yellow glands and slightly sticky to the touch. Redshank's stalks lack these, so a hand-lens check here confirms the identification.
Stout jointed stems, swollen at the nodes
Visible from a distance: branching stems to about a metre, often reddish-tinged and conspicuously knee-like where each leaf joins. The swollen nodes place it in the knotweed family rather than among the docks, whose flowering stems are ribbed and not jointed in this way.
Leaf blotch usually absent
Most plants lack the dark thumbprint blotch near the middle of the leaf that Redshank (Persicaria maculosa) usually shows. The mark is variable in both species, so treat it as a hint and confirm with the ochrea and the flower colour.
Flattened, disc-like nutlets
Ripe seeds are glossy dark brown, flattened and slightly hollowed on both faces, roughly 2–3 mm across. Redshank's are plumper and three-angled or biconvex, so a handful of ripe seed settles the question when the flowers have gone over.
Taste test — bland, never hot
A chewed leaf is mild and faintly sour. Any burning or peppery heat means Water-pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) or a related acrid species, and the plant should be spat out and left.
Updated 2026-08-08T12:03:18.993Z · Added 2026-07-22T14:05:37.284Z
Part of the shared Foragers Log catalogue · Other