Persicaria maculosa subsp. hirticaulis var. pubescens ("Harutade")

Japanese name: ハルタデ （春蓼）
Scientific name: Persicaria maculosa subsp. hirticaulis var. pubescens

[Overview]
An annual seen in fields, along roadsides and similar places.
Plants that bloom in spring are small, 15–30 cm tall, while plants from summer onward grow large, 30–180 cm tall.
The stem is erect, branches in the upper part, is tinged with red and sparsely hairy, but in plants that bloom in spring the internodes are hairless.
Leaves are simple and alternate, oblong to lanceolate, 3–23 cm long and 0.5–5 cm wide.
Both surfaces of the leaves usually have short hairs, and a dark purple blotch may appear in the center of the upper surface.
The ocrea is tubular, with hairs on the outside, and the marginal hairs are short, about 1/3–1/5 the length of the ocrea, and sometimes only a few are produced.
Pseudoracemes 1–9 cm long at the stem tips bear flowers densely.
The flowers have no corolla; the conspicuous calyx is white, later turning red.
The fruit is a lens-shaped achene, glossy black.

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