David E. Ross wrote:
....
Since Higgs Boson lives about 25-30 miles from me and since he indicated
the leaves were turning red, I assume the "pink clover" is not a clover
at all. I strongly suspect it's Persicaria capitata in the knotweed
family.

ah, ok, whole different beastie...


P. capitata has pale pink flowers about the size and form of white
clover. However, P. capitata definitely does not have clover-like
leaves. Its leaves are larger than most clovers and are not compound.
That is, it's a one-leaf "clover". The leaves are oval with a pointed
tip. They are normally green with a red chevron. Sunset indicates the
entire leaf might turn pink when mature. I know the whole plant turns
red in the winter but does not go dormant. In fact, some of mine bloom
all year long.

True clovers (at least the clover weeds in my garden) have tap roots.

some here do not as they grow in a more
sprawling habit (small white to pale pink
flowers) but that is also in moist areas.
the deeper taprooted clover here is a large
leaved red clover.


P. capitata does not, but it does send out additional roots along its
ground-hugging stems.

This confusion between pink "clover" and true clover is why I often use
botanical names. I know of several unrelated "cherries" and two
unrelated "mock oranges". The tropical bulb commonly called "amaryllis"
is in the genus Hippeastrum and not in the genus Amaryllis. Star
jasmine is not a true jasmine, and a rock rose is not a rose.

I once read that plants shipped for commercial purposes across state
lines in the U.S. had to be labeled with their botanical names to avoid
confusion.

alas, my memorisation of botanical names is
very few, i pick them up when i read about a
family, but then after a while they mostly
fade as i get into something else.


songbird