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Polygonum amphibiumL. - Water Knotweed
Scientific Description:
Perennial herb, rarely completely aquatic. Stems ascending, rooting at the lower nodes. Ochrea brown, truncate. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, rounded to truncate and unequal at the base, usually glabrous. Inflorescence a dense, oblong spike. Perianth pink, c. 4 mm. Stamens exserted. Nut ± orbicular, brown, included within the perianth.
Flowering time: June−August.
Habitat: Damp places, lake edges, sometimes in water.
Reference:
Coode MJE & Cullen J (1967). Polygonum amphibium L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2: 272.
Public Description:
Polygonum amphibium, known as “Water Knotweed”, “Longroot Smartweed”, “Water Smartweed”, or “Amphibious Bistort”, is native to North America, Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa. It is a perennial herb with pink flowers. It blooms between June and August and is found in damp places, lake edges, sometimes in water. It produces a thick stem from its rhizome. The stem may creep, float, or grow erect, rooting at stem nodes that come in contact with moist substrate. For this reason, the morphological appearance differs according to the living environment (habitat). This plant was used by various Indian tribes as medicine and food. It was used in the middle ages to relieve the itching and the swelling of the human posterior (the area from the spinal cord to the tail). Seeds are a major source of food for waterfowl, marsh birds, song birds.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_amphibia /,Accessed date: 01.04.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/plantid2/descriptions/pol.html / Accessed date: 01.04.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/polygonum_amphibium.shtml / Accessed date: 01.04.2016
Anonymous 4 (2016). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Polygonaceae/Polygonum// Accessed date: 01.04.2016
Keskin M (2012). Polygonum L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 758–761.