To quote Emerson ”What is a weed? a plant whose virtue has not yet been discovered.” These are lovely in your vase. Look like you have discovered its virtue.

Gosh, schoolhouse, I never thought of putting the persicaria in a vase. Lovely. I pull it out because it isn't a native and is invasive here, but I may have to leave a little to bring inside. My granddaughter will love picking it!

Incredibly invasive, productive, um, prodigious plant. You can have mine.

My patch by the gate never did much. It just stayed in a small clump year after year. But I did find some in a flower border once, but it didn't come back the following year.

Isn't that a polygonum rather than persicaria?

mathias,

I'm in total agreement

They're all over the trail. I noticed them today.

I think Polyganum and Persicaria may be somewhat confused/shifting genera. Gardengal would know more, I think.

It's an invasive weed here, too. It can look very pretty in a large patch, or covering a field, especially early in the morning.

I never knew that was its name

From the linked site: Lady’s Thumb has been used in herbal healing remedies by Native Americans for hundreds of years.

If the plant didn't arrive until the mid 1800s ( as that site also says) this seems highly unlikely - but is a claim that you always find on medicinal/edible plant websites...

laceyvail is correct. The taxonomy of the entire Polygonaceae is a bit of a shape-shifting minefield! It has been in a state of flux for the last 25-30 years and I can't keep up with it. Endlessly confusing. 🥴 Generally, if you go with the genus you are most familiar with re: a specific plant, it is likely that it will at least be an accepted synonym. Case in point......Polygonum persicaria is an accepted synonym of Persicaria maculosa, aka lady's thumb.