Tall Jointweed (Polygonella gracilis)

Educational Story

The Tall Jointweed, Polygonella gracilis, requires a careful eye to see.  It is so fine and small, it is almost as invisible as a spider’s web.  When the plant is not flowering, it is nearly impossible to identify.  This annual herb flowers from a tall, skinny stem that can reach up to 6-feet tall, with enchanting tiny white flowers that look like they are floating in the air.  It grows in pinelands, sandhills and open areas on edges of woods, and is adapted to well drained soils in full to part shade.

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Gardening Facts

Scientific Name: Polygonella gracilis
Common Name: Tall Jointweed, Wireweed
Description of facts and concepts: A thin-stemmed annual herb with small white flowers found in pinelands and sandhills. Not recommended for at-home gardens.
Seed or division information: Seed
Date of flower’s bloom (Month and week): Summer, fall
Ecoregion: Sandhills, dry pinelands
Color of Flower: White-pink
Height: 3-6 Feet
Spread: 0.5-1 foot
Family: Polygonaceae (buckwheat or knotweed)
Soil Type: Base to Acidic Slightly acidic
Soil: Dry to Wet Dry well drained soils
Light: Sun to Shade Full sun to some shade
Zone 8A-10B