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Water Pepper
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Water Pepper
ative Photo: Gurcharan Singh
Common name: Water Pepper, marsh-pepper smartweed, smartweed • Assamese: patharua bihalagani • Bengali: packur mul • Kannada: kari agrada gida, kari sanni • Manipuri: ꯆꯈꯣꯡ Chakhong, ꯆꯥꯑꯣꯈꯣꯡ Chaokhong, Lilhar • Nepali: पिरे Pire • Mizo: Kelhmarcha
Botanical name: Persicaria hydropiper    Family: Polygonaceae (Knotweed family)
Synonyms: Polygonum hydropiper

Water pepper is an annual herb, about 1-2 ft tall, found growing in damp places and shallow water. Leaves are about 5-10 cm long, lanceshaped, smooth along the margins, and usually hairless. Leaves are tapering to both ends, the upper almost stalkless, but not stem-clasping. Greenish-pink flowers are about 4 mm across when open. Flower spikes more than 3 times as long as broad, and interrupted so that some flowers or small groups of flowers are somewhat isolated from the rest. Water Pepper is found in the Himalayas, at altitudes of 900-2300 m. It is also found in other parts of India. Flowering: April-September.

Identification credit: Gurcharan Singh Photographed in Manali, Himachal Pradesh.

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