''Polygonum'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of about 130 species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the buckwheat and knotweed family
Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...
. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from
Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...
). In the
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
glossary
A glossary (from grc, γλῶσσα, ''glossa''; language, speech, wording) also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Tradi ...
of
herbs
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
''Alphita'' ( 1400–1425), it was known as ars-smerte. There have been various opinions about how broadly the genus should be defined. For example,
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 ...
(''Fagopyrum esculentum'') has sometimes been included in the genus as ''Polygonum fagopyrum''. Former genera such as ''Polygonella'' have been subsumed into ''Polygonum''; other genera have been split off.
The genus primarily grows in northern
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
regions. The species are very diverse, ranging from prostrate
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...
s to erect herbaceous
perennial plant
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 wide ...
s.
''Polygonum'' species are occasionally eaten by humans, and are used as food plants by the
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
e of some
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
species – see
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
. Most species are considered weeds in Europe and North America.
Description
When the genus is defined narrowly, ''Polygonum'' species are
annual
Annual may refer to:
* Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
**Yearbook
** Literary annual
* Annual plant
* Annual report
* Annual giving
* Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
* Annuals (b ...
or
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 wide ...
herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
s, rarely
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
by, with much branched stems. The leaves are arranged alternately, usually less than long, with a length greater than the width. They have a membranous
ochrea
An ochrea (Latin ''ocrea'', greave or protective legging), also spelled ocrea, is a plant structure formed of stipules fused into a sheath surrounding the stem, and is typically found in the Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flower ...
(a sheath around the stem nodes). The flowers are usually
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
, rarely
unisexual
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
, and have five (occasionally four)
tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s, the outer being slightly different from the inner ones. There are usually four to six
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s and three (rarely two)
style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
s. The fruit is three-sided.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Polygonum'' was first described by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in 1754. The genus name is usually said to be from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(''poly''-, 'many') and (''gonu'', 'knee' or 'joint'), in reference to the swollen jointed stem.
[ p. 404][ p. 148.] However, long before Linnaeus, the name was used in Greek and Latin for a plant used medically. Discussing the plant he knew as ''polygonum'' in 1655,
Matthias Martinius Matthias Martinius (Martini) (1572 – 30 December 1630) was a German Calvinist theologian and educator.
Life
He was born in Freienhagen, Waldeck and educated at Herborn Academy. He became court preacher at Dillenburg, and then taught at Her ...
referred to
Scribonius Largus
Scribonius Largus (c. 1-c. 50) was the court physician to the Roman emperor Claudius.
About 47 AD, at the request of Gaius Julius Callistus, the emperor's freedman, he drew up a list of 271 prescriptions (''Compositiones''), most of them his own, ...
(who wrote a list of prescriptions around 47 AD) and gave an alternative etymology, based on (''gonos'', 'offspring', 'seed'), the meaning of the name then being the Latin , i.e. 'fecund', 'with many offspring'.
The ''Flora of North America'' says that a derivation meaning 'many seeds' is the "grammatically correct interpretation".
Many members of the family
Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...
that are now placed in separate genera were at one time or other placed in ''Polygonum'', including species of ''
Fagopyrum
The genus ''Fagopyrum'' is in the flowering plant family Polygonaceae. It includes some important food plants, such as '' F. esculentum'' (buckwheat) and '' F. tataricum'' (Tartary buckwheat). The genus is native to the Indian subcontin ...
'', ''
Fallopia
''Fallopia'' is a genus of about 12 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family, often included in a wider treatment of the related genus ''Polygonum'' in the past, and previously including ''Reynoutria''. The genus is native to temperat ...
'', ''
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.[Reynoutria
''Reynoutria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is native to eastern China, Eastern Asia and the Russian Far East, although species have been introduced to Europe and North America. Members of the genus, includ ...]
'',
[ and older sources frequently use much wider definitions of the genus. ]Molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
studies, particularly in the 21st century, have led to major changes. Clarifying the circumscription
Circumscription may refer to:
*Circumscribed circle
*Circumscription (logic)
*Circumscription (taxonomy)
* Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...
of genera split from ''Polygonum'' was described in 2015 as "still ongoing".[
]
Classification and phylogeny
''Polygonum'' is placed in the tribe Polygoneae of the subfamily Polygonoideae
Polygonoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Polygonaceae. It includes a number of plants that can be highly invasive, such as Japanese knotweed, ''Reynoutria japonica'', and its hybrid with '' R. sachalinensis'', ''R.'' × ''bohemica'' ...
. Within the tribe, it is most closely related to the genera ''Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
'' and ''Atraphaxis
Atraphaxis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae with about 40 species.
Description
Species of ''Atraphaxis'' are much branched woody plants, forming shrubs or shrubby tufts. The current year's branchlets are herbaceous and b ...
'', forming the so-called "DAP clade".
Species
Between 65 and 300 species have been recognised at various times, depending on the circumscription of the genus. A number of species that had been included in ''Polygonum'' have been moved into several other genera, including ''Bistorta
''Bistorta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. about 40 species are accepted. It has been supported as a separate clade by molecular phylogenetic analysis. ''Bistorta'' species are native throughout much of the Northern ...
'', ''Fagopyrum
The genus ''Fagopyrum'' is in the flowering plant family Polygonaceae. It includes some important food plants, such as '' F. esculentum'' (buckwheat) and '' F. tataricum'' (Tartary buckwheat). The genus is native to the Indian subcontin ...
'', ''Fallopia
''Fallopia'' is a genus of about 12 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family, often included in a wider treatment of the related genus ''Polygonum'' in the past, and previously including ''Reynoutria''. The genus is native to temperat ...
'', ''Koenigia
:Koenigia'' as described by Philibert Commerçon is a synonym of ''Dombeya.
''Koenigia'' is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus ''Aconogonon'' has been merged into ''Koenigia''.
Description
Species of ''Koenigia'' are annual ...
'', ''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.[Reynoutria
''Reynoutria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is native to eastern China, Eastern Asia and the Russian Far East, although species have been introduced to Europe and North America. Members of the genus, includ ...]
''. Other genera, such as ''Polygonella'', have been subsumed into ''Polygonum''.
, Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
accepted 129 species.
*'' Polygonum acerosum'' Ledeb. ex Meisn.
*'' Polygonum acetosum'' M.Bieb.
*''Polygonum achoreum
''Polygonum achoreum'', common names Blake's knotweed, leathery knotweed or striate knotweed, is a North American species of plants in the buckwheat family. It is widespread across much of Canada and the northern United States.
''Polygonum acho ...
'' S.F.Blake
*''Polygonum adenopodum
''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 ...
'' Sam.
*'' Polygonum afromontanum'' Greenway
*'' Polygonum agreste'' Sumnev.
*'' Polygonum ajanense'' (Regel & Tiling) Grig.
*'' Polygonum albanicum'' Jáv.
*'' Polygonum amgense'' Michaleva & Perfiljeva
*'' Polygonum arenarium'' Waldst. & Kit.
*''Polygonum arenastrum
''Polygonum arenastrum'', commonly known as equal-leaved knotgrass, is a summer annual flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae. Other common names include common knotweed, prostrate knotweed, mat grass, oval-leaf knotweed, stone gr ...
'' Boreau
*''Polygonum argyrocoleon
''Polygonum argyrocoleon'', common names silver-sheath knotweed and Persian knotweed, is an Asian species of plants in the buckwheat family. It is native to Siberia, western China, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It has also become naturalize ...
'' Steud. ex Kunze
*''Polygonum articulatum
''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 ...
'' L.
*''Polygonum austiniae
''Polygonum austiniae'', common name Mrs. Austin's knotweed, is a plant species in the buckwheat family. It is native to western Canada and the western United States, from Alberta and British Columbia south as far as California, Nevada, and Wyom ...
'' Greene
*''Polygonum aviculare
''Polygonum aviculare'' or common knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called prostrate knotweed, birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October. I ...
'' L.
*'' Polygonum balansae'' Boiss.
*''Polygonum basiramia
''Polygonum basiramia'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Polygonella basiramia'') is a rare species of flowering plant in the Polygonaceae, knotweed family known by the common names wireweed, hairy wireweed, purple wireweed, and Florida jointweed. ...
'' (Small) T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*'' Polygonum bellardii'' All.
*'' Polygonum biaristatum'' Aitch. & Hemsl.
*'' Polygonum bidwelliae'' S.Watson
*'' Polygonum bolanderi'' W.H.Brewer ex A.Gray
*'' Polygonum boreale'' (Lange) Small
*'' Polygonum bornmuelleri'' Litv.
*''Polygonum bowenkampii
''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 ...
'' Phil.
*'' Polygonum brasiliense'' K.Koch
*''Polygonum californicum
''Polygonum californicum'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name California knotweed. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington, Oregon, and northern and central California in ...
'' Meisn.
*''Polygonum cascadense
''Polygonum cascadense'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Cascade knotweed. It has been found only in the State of Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Wester ...
'' W.H.Baker
*''Polygonum caspicum
''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 ...
'' Kom.
*'' Polygonum ciliinode'' Michx. – fringed black bindweed, mountain bindweed
*''Polygonum cognatum
''Polygonum cognatum'', commonly called Indian knotgrass or madimak (from Turkish ''madımak''Prof. Dr. Turhan Baytop (1997), Türkçe Bitki Adları Sözlüğü, TDK yayınları: 578, Ankara, 1997), is an edible weedy creeping perennial herb in ...
'' Meisn.
*'' Polygonum corrigioloides'' Jaub. & Spach
*'' Polygonum deciduum'' Boiss. & Noë
*'' Polygonum delopyrum'' T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*''Polygonum dentoceras
''Polygonum dentoceras'' (synonym ''Polygonella myriophylla'') is a rare species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names sandlace, woody wireweed, and Small's jointweed. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, ...
'' T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*'' Polygonum douglasii'' Greene
*'' Polygonum effusum'' Meisn.
*'' Polygonum engelmannii'' Greene
*'' Polygonum equisetiforme'' Sm.
*''Polygonum erectum
''Polygonum erectum'', commonly called erect knotweed, is a North American species of herbaceous plant in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). It is found primarily in the northeastern and north-central parts of the United States, but with scatte ...
'' L.
*'' Polygonum exsertum'' Small
*''Polygonum fibrilliferum
''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 ...
'' Kom.
*'' Polygonum fimbriatum'' Elliott
*'' Polygonum floribundum'' Schltdl. ex Spreng.
*'' Polygonum fowleri'' B.L.Rob.
*'' Polygonum fragile'' Sumnev.
*'' Polygonum glaucum'' Nutt.
*''Polygonum gussonei
''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 ...
'' Tod.
*''Polygonum heterophyllum
''Polygonum heterophyllum'' Sol. ex Meisn. is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. It was first described by Daniel Solander in 1856.
(''Polygonum heterophyllum'' Lindm. is a ...
'' Sol. ex Meisn.
*'' Polygonum heterosepalum'' M.Peck & Ownbey
*'' Polygonum hickmanii'' H.R.Hinds & Rand.Morgan
*'' Polygonum huananense'' A.J.Li
*''Polygonum humifusum
''Polygonum humifusum'' is an Asian and North American species of plants in the buckwheat family. It grows in arctic and subarctic regions of eastern Russia, Mongolia, northeastern China, Alaska, and Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territory, Nunavut, ...
'' C.Merck ex K.Koch
*'' Polygonum icaricum'' Rech.f.
*''Polygonum idaeum
''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 ...
'' Hayek
*''Polygonum imberbe
''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 ...
'' Sol. ex G.Forst.
*''Polygonum inflexum
''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 ...
'' Kom.
*''Polygonum istanbulicum
''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 ...
'' M.Keskin
*'' Polygonum jaxarticum'' Sumnev.
*''Polygonum korotkovae
''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 ...
'' Sumnev.
*'' Polygonum kudriaschevii'' Vassilkovsk.
*'' Polygonum lacerum'' Kunth
*''Polygonum liaotungense
''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 ...
'' Kitag.
*'' Polygonum longiocreatum'' Bartlett
*'' Polygonum longipes'' Halácsy & Charrel
*''Polygonum majus
''Polygonum majus'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name wiry knotweed. It grows in the western United States and western Canada, from British Columbia south as far as the Sierra Nevada ...
'' (Meisn.) Piper
*''Polygonum marinense
''Polygonum marinense'' is a rare North American species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family known by the common name Marin knotweed. It is endemic to California, where it is known from just a few locations north and east of San Francisc ...
'' T.R.Mert. & P.H.Raven
*'' Polygonum maritimum'' L.
*''Polygonum mezianum
''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 ...
'' H.Gross
*'' Polygonum minimum'' S.Watson
*'' Polygonum molliiforme'' Boiss.
*'' Polygonum myrtillifolium'' Kom.
*'' Polygonum nesomii'' T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*'' Polygonum nuttallii'' Small
*'' Polygonum oxanum'' Kom.
*''Polygonum oxyspermum
''Polygonum oxyspermum'' is a coastal species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. It is native to Europe, primarily along the shores of the Atlantic, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea, from France and Ireland to Finland and Russia. It is ...
'' C.A.Mey. & Bunge
*'' Polygonum palastinum'' Zohary
*'' Polygonum papillosum'' Hartvig
*'' Polygonum parksii'' (Cory) T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*''Polygonum paronychia
''Polygonum paronychia'' is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names dune knotweed, black knotweed, and beach knotweed. It is native to the coastline of western North America from British Columbia to Californ ...
'' Cham. & Schltdl.
*'' Polygonum paronychioides'' C.A.Mey.
*'' Polygonum parryi'' Greene
*''Polygonum patulum
''Polygonum patulum'', called tree hogweed, is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family. It is native to the Mediterranean region, eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Mongolia, and the Province of Xinjiang
Xinj ...
'' M.Bieb.
*'' Polygonum peruvianum'' Meisn.
*'' Polygonum pinicola'' T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*'' Polygonum plebeium'' R.Br.
*'' Polygonum polycnemoides'' Jaub. & Spach
*'' Polygonum polygaloides'' Meisn.
*'' Polygonum polygamum'' Vent.
*'' Polygonum polyneuron'' Franch. & Sav.
*'' Polygonum pringlei'' Small
*'' Polygonum pulvinatum'' Kom.
*'' Polygonum ramosissimum'' Michx.
*'' Polygonum rectum'' (Chrtek) H.Scholz
*'' Polygonum recumbens'' Royle ex Bab.
*'' Polygonum rigidum'' Skvortsov
*''Polygonum romanum
''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 ...
'' Jacq.
*''Polygonum rottboellioides
''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 ...
'' Jaub. & Spach
*'' Polygonum rupestre'' Kar. & Kir.
*''Polygonum rurivagum
''Polygonum rurivagum'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The na ...
'' Jord. ex Boreau
*'' Polygonum sabulosum'' Vorosch.
*'' Polygonum salsugineum'' M.Bieb.
*'' Polygonum sanguinaria'' Remy
*''Polygonum sawatchense
''Polygonum sawatchense'' is a North American species of plants in the buckwheat family. It in the western United States and western Canada, from the Pacific Coast to the western Great Plains, so from British Columbia south to California and eas ...
'' Small
*'' Polygonum schistosum'' Czukav.
*'' Polygonum scoparium'' Req. ex Loisel.
*'' Polygonum sericeum'' Pall.
*'' Polygonum serotinum'' Raf.
*'' Polygonum serpyllaceum'' Jaub. & Spach
*'' Polygonum shastense'' W.H.Brewer ex A.Gray
*'' Polygonum simlense'' Royle ex Bab.
*'' Polygonum smallianum'' T.M.Schust. & Reveal
*'' Polygonum spergulariiforme'' Meisn. ex Small
*'' Polygonum striatulum'' B.L.Rob.
*'' Polygonum stypticum'' Cham. & Schltdl.
*'' Polygonum subaphyllum'' Sumnev.
*''Polygonum tenoreanum
''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 ...
'' E.Nardi & Raffaelli
*'' Polygonum tenue'' Michx.
*'' Polygonum tenuissimum'' A.I.Baranov & Skvortsov ex Vorosch.
*'' Polygonum thymifolium'' Jaub. & Spach
*''Polygonum tiflisiense
''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 ...
'' Kom.
*'' Polygonum tubulosum'' Boiss.
*'' Polygonum turgidum'' Thuill.
*'' Polygonum turkestanicum'' Sumnev.
*'' Polygonum undulatum'' (L.) P.J.Bergius
*'' Polygonum utahense'' Brenckle & Cottam
*'' Polygonum valerii'' A.K.Skvortsov
*'' Polygonum volchovense'' Tzvelev
*'' Polygonum vvedenskyi'' Sumnev.
*'' Polygonum zaravschanicum'' Zakirov
Reclassified species
Many species formerly placed in ''Polygonum'' have been moved to other genera in the subfamily Polygonoideae
Polygonoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Polygonaceae. It includes a number of plants that can be highly invasive, such as Japanese knotweed, ''Reynoutria japonica'', and its hybrid with '' R. sachalinensis'', ''R.'' × ''bohemica'' ...
. Some synonyms are listed below.
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Bistorta''
*''Polygonum amplexicaule'' → ''Bistorta amplexicaulis
''Bistorta amplexicaulis'' (synonym ''Persicaria amplexicaulis''), the red bistort or mountain fleece, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae, native to China, the Himalayas, and Pakistan. It is a damp-loving herbace ...
''
*''Polygonum bistorta'' – bistort → ''Bistorta officinalis
''Bistorta officinalis'' (synonym ''Persicaria bistorta''), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Oth ...
''
*''Polygonum bistortoides'' Pursh – American bistort, western bistort, smokeweed or mountain meadow knotweed → ''Bistorta bistortoides
''Bistorta bistortoides'' (American bistort, western bistort, smokeweed, mountain meadow knotweed, mountain buckwheat or mountain meadow buckwheat) is a perennial herb in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. The species name remains un ...
''
*''Polygonum tenuicaule'' Bisset & S.Moore → '' Bistorta tenuicaulis''
*''Polygonum viviparum'' – alpine bistort → ''Bistorta vivipara
''Bistorta vivipara'' (synonym ''Persicaria vivipara'') is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae, commonly known as alpine bistort. Scientific synonyms include ''Bistorta vivipara'' and ''Polygon ...
''
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Fagopyrum''
*''Polygonum fagopyrum'' L. – buckwheat → ''Fagopyrum esculentum
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 ''Fagopy ...
''
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Fallopia''
*''Polygonum aubertii'' L.Henry → ''Fallopia aubertii
''Fallopia aubertii'' (Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Polygonum aubertii'') is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae.
Description
Distribution
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11093157
Fallopia, aubert ...
''
*''Polygonum baldschuanicum'' Regel – Russian vine → ''Fallopia baldschuanica
''Fallopia baldschuanica'' ( syn. ''Polygonum baldschuanicum'') is an Asian species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by several common names, including Russian-vine, Bukhara fleeceflower, Chinese fleecevine, mile-a-minute and sil ...
''
*''Polygonum convolvulus'' L. – black bindweed, wild buckwheat → ''Fallopia convolvulus
''Fallopia convolvulus'', the black-bindweed or wild buckwheat, is a fast-growing annual flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae native throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa.Flora of NW Europe''Fallopia convolvulus''/ref>Flora of China ...
''
*''Polygonum dumetorum'' L. → ''Fallopia dumetorum
''Fallopia dumetorum'', also known as copse bindweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the U ...
''
*''Polygonum scandens'' L. → ''Fallopia scandens
''Fallopia scandens'', the climbing false buckwheat, is a species of ''Fallopia'' native to North America. It is a herbaceous perennial plant which grows from to tall. Although they are semi-erect during bloom, when they are producing fruit, th ...
''
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Koenigia''
*''Polygonum alpinum'' → ''Koenigia alpina
''Koenigia alpina'' (synonym ''Aconogonon alpinum''), commonly known as alpine knotweed, is similar to '' Koenigia alaskana'', but differs in leaf size and achene characteristics. It is native to Europe and temperate Asia.
It is one of the pare ...
''
*''Polygonum campanulatum'' – lesser knotweed, bellflower smartweed → ''Koenigia campanulata
''Koenigia campanulata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to China (Guizhou, west Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet), Bhutan, north Myanmar, Nepal and Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India ...
''
*''Polygonum davisiae'' W.H. Brewer ex A. Gray and ''Polygonum newberryi'' Small → ''Koenigia davisiae
''Koenigia davisiae'' is a flowering plant in the knotweed family that is known by the common names Davis' knotweed or Newberry knotweed.
Distribution
''Koenigia davisiae'' is native to the western United States from Washington, Oregon, and cen ...
''
*''Polygonum molle'' → '' Koenigia mollis''
*''Polygonum polystachyum'' Wall. ex Meisn. → '' Koenigia polystachya''
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Persicaria''
*''Polygonum alatum'' → '' Persicaria nepalensis''
*''Polygonum amphibium'' – amphibious bistort, longroot smartweed, water smartweed → ''Persicaria amphibia
''Persicaria amphibia'' ( syn. ''Polygonum amphibium'') is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by several common names, including longroot smartweed, water knotweed, water smartweed, and amphibious bistort. It is native to ...
''
*''Polygonum capitatum'' – pinkhead smartweed → ''Persicaria capitata
''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'' within the buckwheat family. It is native to Asia (Ch ...
''
*''Polygonum chinense'' L. → ''Persicaria chinensis
''Persicaria chinensis'' ( synonym ''Polygonum chinense''), commonly known as creeping smartweed or Chinese knotweed, is a plant species from the family Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the kno ...
''
*''Polygonum coccineum'' Muhl. ex Willd. → ''Persicaria amphibia
''Persicaria amphibia'' ( syn. ''Polygonum amphibium'') is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by several common names, including longroot smartweed, water knotweed, water smartweed, and amphibious bistort. It is native to ...
''
*''Polygonum filiforme'' Thunb. → '' Persicaria filiformis''
*''Polygonum hydropiper'' – water-pepper → ''Persicaria hydropiper
''Persicaria hydropiper'' ( syn. ''Polygonum hydropiper''), also known as water pepper, marshpepper knotweed, arse smart or tade, is a plant of the family Polygonaceae. A widespread species, ''Persicaria hydropiper'' is found in Australia, New Z ...
''
*''Polygonum hydropiperoides'' Michx. – swamp smartweed → ''Persicaria hydropiperoides
''Persicaria hydropiperoides'' is a New World species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names swamp smartweed and false waterpepper. It is widespread across much of North America and South America.Cowan, C. P. 1983. ...
''
*''Polygonum lapathifolium'' – pale persicaria or nodding smartweed → '' Persicaria lapathifolia''
*''Polygonum longisetum'' → '' Persicaria longiseta''
*''Polygonum minus'' – small water-pepper → ''Persicaria minor
''Persicaria minor'' is species of herb in the family Polygonaceae. Common names include pygmy smartweed, small water pepper and swamp willow weed. This herb is native to Asia, but distributed widely in Europe and Australia. It is used in South E ...
''
*''Polygonum mite'' Schrank – tasteless water-pepper → '' Persicaria mitis'' (Schrank) Assenov
*''Polygonum nepalense'' → '' Persicaria nepalensis''
*''Polygonum odoratum'' Lour. – Vietnamese coriander → ''Persicaria odorata
''Persicaria odorata'', with common names Vietnamese coriander, rau răm, laksa leaf, Vietnamese cilantro, phak phai, praew leaf, hot mint and Cambodian mint, is an herb with aromatic leaves, used in Southeast Asian and Northeast Indian cooking. ...
''
*''Polygonum orientale'' → '' Persicaria orientalis''
*''Polygonum pensylvanicum'' – Pennsylvania smartweed or pink knotweed or pinkweed → ''Persicaria pensylvanica
''Persicaria pensylvanica'' (syn. ''Polygonum pensylvanicum'') is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. It is native to parts of North America, where it is widespread in Canada and the United States. It has also been ...
''
*''Polygonum perfoliata'' – Asiatic Tearthumb → ''Persicaria perfoliata
''Persicaria perfoliata'' (basionym ''Polygonum perfoliatum'') is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. Common names include mile-a-minute, devil's tail, giant climbing tearthumb, and Asiatic tearthumb. It is a trailing herbaceou ...
''
*''Polygonum persicaria'' – redshank or persicaria or lady's thumb → ''Persicaria maculosa
''Persicaria maculosa'' (syn. ''Polygonum persicaria'') is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Common names include lady's thumb, spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. It is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland sou ...
''
*''Polygonum praetermissum'' → '' Persicaria praetermissa''
*''Polygonum punctatum'' Elliott – dotted smartweed → ''Persicaria punctata
''Persicaria punctata'' (syn. ''Polygonum punctatum'') is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names dotted smartweed and dotted knotweed.
''Persicaria punctata'' is native to the Americas, where it can be fou ...
''
*''Polygonum runcinatum'' → '' Persicaria runcinata''
*''Polygonum sagittatum'' – arrowleaf tearthumb, American tear-thumb or scratchgrass → '' Persicaria sagittata''
*''Polygonum tinctorium'' → ''Persicaria tinctoria
''Persicaria tinctoria'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. Common names include Chinese indigo and Japanese indigo. It is native to Eastern Europe and Asia.
The leaves were a source of indigo dye. It was already in use in ...
''
*''Polygonum virginianum'' L. → ''Persicaria virginiana
''Persicaria virginiana'', also called jumpseed, Virginia knotweed or woodland knotweed is a North American species of smartweed within the buckwheat family. It is unusual as a shade-tolerant member of a mostly sun-loving genus. Jumpseed is a p ...
''
''Polygonum'' species that have been reclassified as ''Reynoutria''
*''Polygonum multiflorum'' Thunb. → ''Reynoutria multiflora
''Reynoutria multiflora'' (Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Fallopia multiflora'' and ''Polygonum multiflorum'') is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae native to central and southern China. It is known by the English comm ...
''
*''Polygonum cuspidatum'' Siebold & Zucc. – Japanese knotweed → ''Reynoutria japonica
''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...
''
*''Polygonum sachalinense'' F.Schmidt – giant knotweed → ''Reynoutria sachalinensis
''Reynoutria sachalinensis'' (giant knotweed or Sakhalin knotweed Japanese オオイタドリ ''ooitadori'', Russian Горец сахалинский, Гречиха сахалинская; syns. ''Polygonum sachalinense'', ''Fallopia sachalinen ...
''
Unresolved species
*''Polygonum vaccinifolium'' Wall. is an unresolved species name. '' Persicaria vaccinifolia'' may be a synonym.
Uses
Several species can be eaten cooked, for example during famines. The species ''Polygonum cognatum
''Polygonum cognatum'', commonly called Indian knotgrass or madimak (from Turkish ''madımak''Prof. Dr. Turhan Baytop (1997), Türkçe Bitki Adları Sözlüğü, TDK yayınları: 578, Ankara, 1997), is an edible weedy creeping perennial herb in ...
'', known locally as "madimak", is regularly consumed in central parts of Turkey.
References in literature
In ''The Man Who Laughs
''The Man Who Laughs'' (also published under the title ''By Order of the King'' from its subtitle in French) is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title ''L'Homme qui rit''. It takes place in England beg ...
'' Victor Hugo wrote of the Comprachicos
Comprachicos is a compound Spanish language, Spanish neologism meaning "child-buyers", which was coined by Victor Hugo in his novel ''The Man Who Laughs''. The words Comprapequeños and Cheylas are also used.
It refers to various groups in folkl ...
(child-buyers) who created artificial dwarfs, formed "by anointing babies' spines with the grease of bats, moles and dormice" and using drugs such as "dwarf elder, knotgrass, and daisy juice". The idea of such use was also known to Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, as Beatrice K. Otto pointed out, quoting ''A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'':Get you gone, dwarf;
You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made;
References
External links
Natural History Museum, London: Nature-navigator website
Royal Horticultural Society: Plant Finder section website
{{Taxonbar, from=Q271400
Polygonaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus