''Persicaria capitata'', the pink-headed persicaria, pinkhead smartweed, pink knotweed, Japanese knotweed, or pink bubble persicaria, is an Asian species of plants in the genus ''

Persicaria ''Persicaria'' is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds or smartweeds.buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

family. It is native to Asia (China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina) and grown as an ornamental in other countries. It has become naturalized in Australia, South Africa and a few scattered locations in the United States.

Description

''Persicaria capitata'' is a prostrate herb. The leaves are 1–6 cm long, 0.7–3 cm wide with pink to red bands or blotches and short scattered hairs. The

spikes The SPIKES protocol is a method used in clinical medicine to break bad news to patients and families. As receiving bad news can cause distress and anxiety, clinicians need to deliver the news carefully. By using the SPIKES method for introducing a ...

are 5–10 mm long and 5–7 mm in diameter.Flora of China, ''Polygonum capitatum'' Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don, 1825. 头花蓼 tou hua liao
/ref> ''Persicaria capitata'' has a strong urine-scented odour.

Distribution and habitat

''Persicaria capitata'' is a native of Asia. It has naturalised in parts of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Between 2008 and 2013 it has been recorded as an invasive plant in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from the Counties

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

and Mayo.

Uses

''Persicaria capitata'' has been widely used in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in the treatment of various urologic disorders including

urinary calculi Kidney stone disease, also known as nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, is a crystallopathy where a solid piece of material (kidney stone) develops in the urinary tract. Kidney stones typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine s ...

and

urinary tract infections A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a bladder infection (cystitis) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as a kidney ...

.Liao SG, Zhang LJ, Sun F, Zhang JJ, Chen AY, Lan YY, Li YJ, Wang AM, He X, Xiong Y, Dong L, Chen XJ, Li YT, Zuo L, Wang YL, "Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects of extracts and fractions from ''Polygonum capitatum''." ''J Ethnopharmacol''. 2011 Feb 3; Authors:

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment, University of California

capitata Capitata is a suborder of Hydrozoa, a class of marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. Characteristics Members of this suborder are characterised by the tentacles of the polyps terminating in knobs. In some species these are o ...

Flora of Asia Plants described in 1825 {{Polygonaceae-stub

Description

Distribution and habitat

Uses

See also

References

External links