| 1 | 
  Some or all ocreae foliaceous and green distally | 
    | 
  (2) | 
  | + | 
  All ocreae chartaceous and hyaline, tan, brown, or reddish brown throughout, never foliaceous and green distally | 
    | 
  (3) | 
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    | 
    | 
  | 2 (1) | 
  Plants annual; rhizomes and stolons absent; leaf blades ovate, 3-17 cm wide | 
    | 
  22 Persicaria orientalis | 
  | + | 
  Plants perennial; rhizomes or stolons usually present; leaf blades ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 1-6(-8) cm wide | 
    | 
  11 Persicaria amphibia (in part) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 3 (1) | 
  Perianths glandular-punctate | 
    | 
  (4) | 
  | + | 
  Perianths not glandular-punctate | 
    | 
  (9) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 4 (3) | 
  Achenes minutely roughened, dull; axillary inflorescences sometimes enclosed in ocreae | 
    | 
  21 Persicaria hydropiper | 
  | + | 
  Achenes smooth, shiny; inflorescences never enclosed in ocreae | 
    | 
  (5) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 5 (4) | 
  Outer tepals with anchor-shaped veins; achenes discoid | 
    | 
  20 Persicaria lapathifolia (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Outer tepals without anchor-shaped veins; achenes 3-gonous or biconvex | 
    | 
  (6) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
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  | 6 (5) | 
  Ocreae margins eciliate; achenes biconvex; styles 2 | 
    | 
  14 Persicaria glabra (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Ocreae margins ciliate with bristles 2-12 mm; achenes usually 3-gonous, rarely biconvex; styles 2-3 | 
    | 
  (7) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 7 (6) | 
  Punctae confined to bases of perianths and sometimes on inner tepals | 
    | 
  13 Persicaria hydropiperoides (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Punctae ± uniformly distributed over perianths | 
    | 
  (8) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
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  | 8 (7) | 
  Inflorescences interrupted; ocreolae mostly not overlapping, margins mostly ciliate with hairs to 2 mm; leaf blades 0.6-2.4 cm wide | 
    | 
  15 Persicaria punctata | 
  | + | 
  Inflorescences uninterrupted; ocreolae usually overlapping, margins mostly eciliate or proximal sometimes with hairs to 1 mm; leaf blades 2-4.5 cm wide | 
    | 
  12 Persicaria robustior | 
  |   | 
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    | 
    | 
  | 9 (3) | 
  Peduncles stipitate-glandular | 
    | 
  (10) | 
  | + | 
  Peduncles not stipitate-glandular | 
    | 
  (14) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 10 (9) | 
  Plants perennial; rhizomes or stolons usually present; inflorescences terminal | 
    | 
  11 Persicaria amphibia (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Plants annual; rhizomes and stolons absent; inflorescences terminal and axillary | 
    | 
  (11) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 11 (10) | 
  Stems hirsute proximally; margins of ocreae ciliate with bristles 2-7 mm | 
    | 
  23 Persicaria careyi | 
  | + | 
  Stems glabrous proximally; margins of ocreae eciliate or ciliate with bristles less than 1 mm | 
    | 
  (12) | 
  |   | 
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  | 12 (11) | 
  Outer tepals with anchor-shaped veins; tepals 4(-5); inflorescences mostly arching or nodding | 
    | 
  20 Persicaria lapathifolia (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Outer tepals without anchor-shaped veins; tepals 5; inflorescences erect or, rarely, nodding | 
    | 
  (13) | 
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    | 
    | 
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  | 13 (12) | 
  Flowers homostylous; achenes without central hump on 1 side | 
    | 
  18 Persicaria pensylvanica (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Flowers heterostylous; achenes usually with central hump on 1 side | 
    | 
  19 Persicaria bicornis (in part) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 14 (9) | 
  Plants perennial; rhizomes or stolons usually present | 
    | 
  (15) | 
  | + | 
  Plants annual; rhizomes and stolons absent | 
    | 
  (19) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
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  | 15 (14) | 
  Achenes biconvex; styles 2 | 
    | 
  (16) | 
  | + | 
  Achenes 3-gonous; styles 3 | 
    | 
  (17) | 
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  | 16 (15) | 
  Perianth greenish white or white to pink; surfaces of ocreae glabrous, usually obscurely glandular-punctate | 
    | 
  14 Persicaria glabra (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Perianth roseate to red; surfaces of ocreae glabrous or appressed-pubescent to hirsute, not glandular-punctate | 
    | 
  11 Persicaria amphibia (in part) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 17 (15) | 
  Proximal part of ocreae strigose, or ocreae glabrous | 
    | 
  13 Persicaria hydropiperoides (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Proximal part of ocreae hirsute, or strigose and with loosely ascending to spreading hairs at least proximally | 
    | 
  (18) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
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  | 18 (17) | 
  Bases of leaf blades rounded to cordate; stems brownish-hirsute on internodes | 
    | 
  16 Persicaria hirsuta | 
  | + | 
  Bases of leaf blades tapered to truncate; stems glabrous or loosely appressed- to spreading-hirsute near nodes | 
    | 
  17 Persicaria setacea | 
  |   | 
    | 
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  | 19 (14) | 
  Margins of ocreae without bristles or with bristles to 1 mm; ocreolae mostly overlapping; achenes discoid, rarely 3-gonous | 
    | 
  (20) | 
  | + | 
  Margins of ocreae ciliate with bristles (0.2-)1-12 mm, if bristles less than 1 mm then ocreolae not overlapping; achenes discoid, biconvex, or 3-gonous | 
    | 
  (22) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 20 (19) | 
  Outer tepals with anchor-shaped veins; tepals 4(-5); inflorescences mostly arching or nodding | 
    | 
  20 Persicaria lapathifolia (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Outer tepals without anchor-shaped veins; tepals 5; inflorescences mostly erect, rarely nodding | 
    | 
  (21) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 21 (20) | 
  Flowers homostylous; achenes without central hump on 1 side | 
    | 
  18 Persicaria pensylvanica (in part) | 
  | + | 
  Flowers heterostylous; achenes usually with central hump on 1 side | 
    | 
  19 Persicaria bicornis (in part) | 
  |   | 
    | 
    | 
    | 
  | 22 (19) | 
  Inflorescences not dense; ocreolae not overlapping proximally, usually overlapping distally; leaf blades linear to linear-lanceolate | 
    | 
  25 Persicaria minor | 
  | + | 
  Inflorescences dense; ocreolae mostly overlapping; leaf blades narrowly ovate or ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate | 
    | 
  (23) | 
  |   | 
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  | 23 (22) | 
  Bristles of ocreolae 0.2-1.3(-2) mm; achenes discoid, biconvex, or 3-gonous; styles 2-3 | 
    | 
  26 Persicaria maculosa | 
  | + | 
  Bristles of ocreolae (0.5-)1-4(-6) mm; achenes 3-gonous; styles 3 | 
    | 
  24 Persicaria longiseta |