''Polygonum cognatum'', commonly called Indian knotgrass or madimak (from Turkish ''madımak''Prof. Dr.

Turhan Baytop Turhan Baytop (June 20, 1920 – June 25, 2002) was a Turkish botanist and pharmacist from Istanbul. He was born on June 20, 1920, at Üsküdar, Istanbul. His father was a military officer and a keen amateur botanist. He then started studying ...

(1997), Türkçe Bitki Adları Sözlüğü, TDK yayınları: 578, Ankara, 1997), is an edible weedy creeping perennial herb in the genus ''

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

'', frequently eaten by people of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It has larger leaves than most other species of ''Polygonum''.

Description

''Polygonum cognatum'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

, prostrate or ascending branched herb, 15–30 cm long with a thick stout root stock. Stems are prostrate, green like the leaves. Leaves oblong-elliptic, petiolate, often slightly mucronate. Flowers in bundles in the leaf axils. Perianth pinkish, 4–5 mm, hardening and accrescent in fruit. Nut glossy, included in the perianth.

Habitat

Irano-Turanian

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

or Iran-Turan Plant Geography Region element, grows between 760–5600 meters elevation on rocky and drier slopes; distribution: Central to

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

, Caucasia (

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The madimak is a weed found in both agricultural and non-agricultural areas.

Subspecies

*''Polygonum cognatum'' subsp. ''chitralicum'' (syn: ''P. chitralicum''):

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

in Chitral,

. *''Polygonum cognatum'' subsp. ''cognatum'' (syn: ''P. cognatum'' var. ''alpestre'', ''P. confertum'', ''P. ammanioides'', ''P. pamiroalaicum'')

Cuisine

The madimak is one of the widely known traditional edible plants in

particularly

Central Anatolia Region The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is bordered ...

. To be able compensate increasing demand easily and supply the plant to the markets, farmers started cultivating madimak in Central Anatolia.

Pharmacology

The highest antioxidant activity was found in the water extract.Ali Yıldırım, Ahmet Mavi, Ayşe Aydan Kara (2002)
Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ''Polygonum cognatum'' Meissn extracts
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Volume 83, Issue 1, pages 64–69, 1 January 2003

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3337007 cognatum Flora of Turkey Flora of Georgia (country) Flora of Syria Flora of Iran Flora of Pakistan Plants described in 1826 Edible plants Taxa named by Carl Meissner