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Polygonum amphibium
| Common name: |
Willow Grass |
Family: |
Polygonaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Persicaria amphibia ((L.)S.F.Gray.) |
| Known Hazards: |
Although no specific mention has been made for this species, there have been reports that some members of this genus can cause photosensitivity in susceptible people.
Many species also contain oxalic acid (the distinctive lemony flavour of sorrel) - whilst not toxic this substance can bind up other minerals making them unavailable to the body and leading to mineral deficiency. Having said that, a number of common foods such as sorrel and rhubarb contain oxalic acid and the leaves of most members of this genus are nutritious and beneficial to eat in moderate quantities. Cooking the leaves will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238]. |
| Range: |
Most of Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia, N. America and S. Africa. |
| Habitat: |
Lakes, ponds, slow-flowing rivers and canals, also on banks by the river[17, 187]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| P. amphibia[DUTCH]
P. amphibian[HORTIPLEX]
P. amphibium var. coccineum[B]
P. amphibium var. emersum[B,C,G,P]
P. coccineum[B,G,P]
P. coccineum var. pratincola[B,P]
P. coccineum var. terrestre[B,P]
P. muehlenbergii[B,P]
P. muehlenbergii var. terrestre[B,P]
Persicaria amphibia var. emersa[B,P]
Persicaria coccinea[B,P]
Persicaria muehlenbergii[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Amphibious Bistort [L], Coban Deynegi [E], Longroot Smartweed [P], Poligono Anfibio [E], Serpentine [E], Veenwortel [D], Water Knotweed [P], Water Smartweed [B,L], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Polygonales. Buckwheat family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Europe
Spain Turkey
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: California. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.3m. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires wet soil and can grow in water.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Pond, Bog Garden.Edible Uses
Leaves
Seed.
Leaves - raw or cooked. The young shoots are eaten in the spring[257].
Seed - cooked[178]. It is rather small and fiddly to utilize.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent
Depurative Pectoral Poultice Skin.
The whole plant, but especially the root, is astringent, depurative,
skin[145, 172, 178, 207].
An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used to treat stomach pains and
children with diarrhoea[257].
The root has been eaten raw, or an infusion of the dried, pounded roots
used, in the treatment of chest colds[257]. A poultice of the fresh roots has
been applied directly to the mouth to treat blisters[257].
Other Uses
Tannin.
Tannin is obtained from the plant[145]. No more details, but it is
likely to be from the root.
Cultivation details
A water or marsh plant growing in water up to 3 metres deep or in boggy
soil[187].
This species is hardy to about -25° c[187].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
The leaves are often attacked by the larvae of the water-lily beetle[187].
Plants can either be aquatic with floating ovate-oblong leaf-blades or a
leggy marsh plant with lanceolate leaves[187]. Their stems root at the nodes
wherever they come into contact with the soil[200].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually free and
easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into
individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached
sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out
the following spring after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out
direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot
up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame
until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or
early summer.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
References for Persicaria amphibia (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Polygonum amphibian (a possible synonym).
References for Polygonum amphibium var. emersum (a possible synonym).
References for persicaria amphibia (a possible synonym).
References for the family Polygonaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.
[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Polygonum+amphibium
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