Polygonum capitatum — Details

Pinkhead Smartweed learn more about names for this taxon

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Overview

Distribution

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Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don:
Burma (Asia)
Brazil (South America)
Bhutan (Asia)
India (Asia)
Nepal (Asia)
Sri Lanka (Asia)
Thailand (Asia)
United States (North America)
Vietnam (Asia)
South Africa (Africa & Madagascar)
China (Asia)
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National Distribution

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United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

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Distribution

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Himalaya (Punjab to NEFA), Tibet, Assam, east to W. China.
  • Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal @ eFloras.org
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Distribution

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Distribution: Pakistan, India (Himalayas) extending in east up to W. China through Xizang.
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Physical Description

Morphology

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Persicaria capitata is planted as a garden groundcover. It escapes infrequently in the flora area; once established outside of cultivation it can be difficult to eradicate.
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Comments

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This species is used medicinally, and is cultivated as an ornamental in other parts of the world (e.g., in Australia). 

 Newly naturalized in Taiwan (see Hsu, T. W., S. M. Ku & C. I. Peng. Taiwania 49(3): 183. 2004).

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Description

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Plants annual or perennial, 0.5-5 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes. Stems prostrate, glabrous or glandular-pubescent. Leaves: ocrea brown or reddish brown, cylindric to funnelform, 5-12 mm, chartaceous, base inflated or not, margins oblique, eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 1.5 mm, surface lanate, sometimes also glandular-pubescent; petiole 2-5 mm, winged distally; blade ovate to elliptic, 1.5-4(-6) × 0.6-2.5(-3.3) cm, base cuneate or tapering, margins ciliate with reddish, multicellular hairs, apex acute, faces glandular-pubescent abaxially and adaxially, not glandular-punctate. Inflorescences terminal, 5-20 × 7-18 mm; peduncle 10-40 mm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular in distal 5; ocreolae overlapping, margins eciliate. Pedicels spreading, 0.5-1 mm. Flowers 1-5 per ocreate fascicle; perianth greenish white proximally, pinkish distally, urceolate, glabrous, nonaccrescent; tepals 5, elliptic, 2-3 mm, apex acute to obtuse; stamens 8, filaments distinct, free; anthers pink to red, elliptic; styles 3, connate to middle or distally. Achenes included, reddish brown to brownish black, 3-gonous, 1.5-2.2 × 1-1.5 mm, shiny, smooth or minutely punctate.
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Elevation Range

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600-2400 m
  • Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal @ eFloras.org
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Description

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Perennial herb, rootstock stout, with several branches from the rootstock, 15-25 cm long, trailing or creeping, usually rooting below. Leaves 1-3.5 (-4.0) x 0.75-2.5 cm, ovate, acute, base rounded or cuneate, pubescent-hairy, serrate-dentate, margin hairy, petiole 0.3-0.75 cm long. Ochrea 0.5-1.25 cm long, ovate, ciliate, hairy, tubular. Inflorescence a dense, capitate head, usually solitary, peduncle 1-4 cm long glandular-hispid or sometimes glabrous. Flowers 0.5-1.25 mm across, pink, pedicel very small, up to 1 mm long. Ochrealae 1.5-3.5 mm long, lanceolate, entire, acuminate. Tepals 5, parted nearly to the base, 1.5-2.0 x c. 1.0 mm, oblanceolate, obtuse, 3-veined, stamens 5-6, filaments long, equal, anthers dorsifixed. Ovary 0.50-1.0 x c. 0.5 mm, trigonous; styles three, long filiform, free about half the length with capitate and exserted stigmas. Nuts 1-2.0 x 0.5-0.75 mm, trigonous, dark brown, shining, glabrous, striate.
  • Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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Description

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Herbs perennial. Stems creeping, tufted, ligneous at base, sparsely glandular hairy or nearly glabrous, much branched, rooting from nodes, internodes shorter than leaf blades; branchlet suberect, angulate, sparsely glandular hairy. Petiole 2-3 mm, sometimes auriculate at base; leaf blade sometimes with a large blackish spot adaxially, ovate or elliptic, 1.5-3 × 1-2.5 cm, both surfaces glandular hairy, base cuneate, margin entire and glandular hairy, apex acute; ocrea tubular, 5-8 mm, membranous, sparsely glandular hairy, apex truncate, ciliate. Inflorescence terminal, capitate, solitary or geminate, 6-10 mm in diam.; peduncle glandular hairy; bracts narrowly ovate, membranous. Pedicel very short. Perianth pinkish, 5-parted; tepals elliptic, 2-3 mm. Stamens 8, included. Styles 3, connate to below middle, equaling perianth; stigmas capitate. Achenes included in persistent perianth, black-brown, slightly shiny, narrowly ovoid, trigonous, 1.5-2 mm, densely punctate. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Aug-Oct.
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Diagnostic Description

Synonym

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Polygonum capitatum Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal., 73. 1825
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Synonym

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Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nep. 73. 1825; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 44. 1886; R.R.Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 204. 1972; Bhopal & Chaudhri in Pak. Syst. 1(2): 74. 1977.
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Synonym

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Cephalophilon capitatum (Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don) Tzvelev; Persicaria capitata (Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don) H. Gross.
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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat & Distribution

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Flowering Jun-Sep. Disturbed, urban places; 0-500 m; introduced; Calif., La., Oreg.; Asia (Bhutan, w China, n India, Nepal); introduced also in the Pacific Islands (Hawaii).
  • Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Habitat

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A fairly uncommon plant, grows on moist rocks between the altitudes of 1200-2200 m.
  • Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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Habitat & Distribution

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Mountain slopes, shaded places in valleys; 600-3500 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, N India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].
  • Flora of China @ eFloras.org
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Life History and Behavior

Cyclicity

Flower/Fruit

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Fl. Per.: May-August.
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Conservation

Conservation Status

National NatureServe Conservation Status

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United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

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NatureServe Conservation Status

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Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

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Wikipedia

Persicaria capitata

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Persicaria capitata (Pink Knotweed, Japanese Knotweed or Pink bubble persicaria) is an ornamental plant of the Persicaria genus in the Polygonaceae family. The spikes are 5-10mm long and 5-7mm in diameter.

Contents

Description

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

This plant has a strong urine scented odour.

Distribution and habitat

Persicaria capitata is a native of Asia. It has naturalised in parts of Australia[1] and North America.[2]

Uses

Persicaria capitata has been widely used in China in the treatment of various urologic disorders including urinary calculus and urinary tract infections.[3]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Persicaria capitata

References

See also Japanese knotweed, which describes Fallopia japonica.

  1. ^ a b c "Persicaria capitata". New South Wales Flora Online. http://pngplants.org/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Persicaria~capitata. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
  2. ^ USDA Plants Profile
  3. ^ 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:
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