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Polygonum orientale
| Common name: |
Prince's Feather |
Family: |
Polygonaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200, 266 |
| Synonyms: |
Persicaria orientalis ((L.)Spach.) |
| 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: |
E. Asia - China to the Himalayas. |
| Habitat: |
Roadsides, near houses and wastelands, also commonly cultivated in gardens, from sea level to 3000 metres[266]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| P. spaethii[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Hung Ts'Ao [E], Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate [P], Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate [B], Oke-Tade [E], Prince's Plume [H], Princess-feather [L], Shui Hung Hua Zi [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
orientale = eastern;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Polygonales. Buckwheat family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
China; Indochina
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 1.5m. . It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 2/5 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 moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Young shoots - cooked. The young shoots are a standard vegetable in
Indo-China[179].
Seed - cooked[145, 178]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anticoagulant; Cancer; Carminative; Febrifuge; Tonic; Vulnerary.
The plant is a good tonic and vulnerary[240].
The flowers are said to thin the blood, remove obstructions and ease
pain[218].
The leafy stems are used in the treatment of hernias[218].
A decoction of the ripe fruits is used in the treatment of hepatitis,
sloughing ulcers, tympanites and cancer[218].
The seed is said to relieve flatulence, fevers and thirst, brighten the eyes
and benefit the breath[178, 218].
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Succeeds in an ordinary garden soil[1] but prefers a moisture retentive
not too fertile soil in sun or part shade[200]. Repays generous treatment[1].
Plants are not very hardy in Britain but can be grown as a half-hardy
annual[1].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
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.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Persicaria orientalis (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
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.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[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.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[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.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[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.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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+orientale
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Polygonum+orientale
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