Persicaria

Persicaria
Persicaria capitata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Subfamily: Polygonoideae
Genus: Persicaria
Mill. 1754
Species

See text

Synonyms
List
    • Amblygonum Rchb.
    • Antenoron Raf.
    • Cephalophilon (Meisn.) Spach
    • Chylocalyx Hassk.
    • Echinocaulon (Meisn.) Spach
    • Echinocaulos Hassk.
    • Goniaticum Stokes
    • Heptarina Raf.
    • Lagunaea C.Agardh
    • Lagunea Lour.
    • Mitesia Raf.
    • Peutalis Raf.
    • Pogalis Raf.
    • Sunania Raf.
    • Tasoba Raf.
    • Tovara Adans.
    • Tracaulon Raf.
    • Truellum Houtt.
Illustration from the Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu (1804)

Persicaria is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds: 436  or smartweeds. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring nearly worldwide. The genus was segregated from Polygonum.

Description

The genus includes annual and perennial herbs with taproots or fibrous root systems, or with rhizomes or stolons. The stems are often erect but may be prostrate along the ground, and some species are prickly. The stems are self-supporting or twining and climbing. The leaves are alternately arranged, deciduous, and variously shaped. The brownish or reddish ochrea may be leathery to papery. The inflorescence may be a panicle or a spikelike or headlike arrangement of fascicles of flowers. The flower is white, greenish, reddish, pink or purple, with the tepals partially fused together along the bases. The fruit is an achene which can take a number of shapes, including a disc or a sphere.

Taxonomy

Within the family Polygonaceae, Persicaria is placed in the subfamily Polygonoideae, where the tribe Persicarieae consists of two sister genera, Bistorta and Koenigia, together with Persicaria.

Persicarieae

Persicaria

Bistorta

Koenigia

Species

As of November 2023, the following 151 species were accepted:

General and cited references