Polygonum arifolium L.

Halberd-leaved tearthumb

About plant names...

Halberd-leaved tearthumb is a rather strange-sounding name. “Halberd-leaved,” for its leaves’ resemblance to a rather nasty ancient weapon; “tearthumb,” for the back­ward-pointing barbs on its stems. The plant is native to eastern North America.

Plants: This vinelike plant has weak stems that are green, pink or red, with many tiny backward-pointing barbs used to support it as it grows over other plants. Plants may be 24-48" (60-121 cm) long.

Leaves: Shaped like arrowheads, except that the backward-pointing barbs point outward (technically, “hastate”). Leaves are hairy, 4-4½" (10-11 cm) long.

Flowers: Flowerheads are less than ⅜" (1 cm) in diameter, white to light pink in color. Each rounded flowerhead consists of 5-20 individual flowers at the end of a long stem, which emerges from a leaf node.

Fruits: Rounded reddish-brown nutlets about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around.

8/30/2007 · By User:SB_Johnny

Halberd-leaved tearthumb and its namesake, a halberd from 14th-16th century Sweden.

These similar species are most easily distinguished by leaf shape:

	You are here Polygonum arifolium	Polygonum sagittatum	Polygonum perfoliatum
Common Name	halberd-leaved tearthumb	arrow tearthumb	Asiatic tearthumb
Plant	Vine has weak stems that are green, pink or red, with many tiny backward-pointing barbs, 24-48" (60-121 cm) long	Stems 3-6' (91-182 cm) long, green, pink, or red, hollow, vinelike, with squared edges and tiny, backward-pointing prickles.	Vines have reddish stems with backward-pointing hooks that allow it to clamber over other plants.
Flowers	Flowerheads are less than ⅜" (1 cm) in diameter, white to light pink, with 5-20 individual flowers at the end of a long stem	Flowerheads are less than ⅜" (1 cm) in diameter, white to pink in color. Each rounded flowerhead consists of 5-20 individual flowers at the end of a long stem.	Flowers and fruits emerge from the ocreas. Flowers are white, but inconspicuous.
Leaves	Leaves are shaped like arrowheads, except that the backward-pointing barbs point outward (technically, “hastate”). Leaves are hairy, 4-4½" (10-11 cm) long	Shaped like narrow arrowheads, attached via short ⅜" (1 cm) stems. The base of each leaf tends to wrap around the stem. Leaf edges also have tiny prickles.	Mile-a-minute vine has leaves that are almost perfect triangles, small curved barbs along its stems, and saucer-shaped leaves (ocreas) at its stem nodes. Although ocreas are present in all Polygonums, they usually take the form of a fibrous sheath wrapped tightly around the plant stem.
Fruit	Seeds are rounded reddish-brown nutlets about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around	Small nutlets, brown to black.	Tightly packed clusters of 10-30 lobed metallic blue fruits, each about ⅛-¼" (3.2-6.3 mm) around. Each lobe or segment contains a single glossy, black or reddish black seed.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Marshes, swamps, wet meadows	Wet, marshy ground	Almost anywhere there are warm moist or wet open areas: woods, wetlands, roadsides, fields, stream banks, forest edges.
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Common	Invasive

Online References:

Polygonum arifolium on spes.vt.edu

Polygonum arifolium on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Polygonum arifolium on

Polygonum arifolium at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Polygonum arifolium description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

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