Pale Smartweed, Pale Knotweed
Persicaria lapathifolia
Family: Polygonaceae
What it is like
An erect herb. It can grow for one year or for several years. It can lie along the ground or be erect. It grows to 1 m high. The stems are slender. They can be 2.4 cm across. The leaves are sword shaped and 12 cm long. They can be 25 cm long by 5 cm wide but are mostly smaller. There can be hairs along the larger veins on the upper surface of the leaf. The base is narrowly wedge shaped and they taper to the tip. The flower arrangement is at the top. The false spikes are like cylinders. They are dense. The fruit are flattened and flask shaped. It has flat faces with round edges. They are 2 mm long. They are black or brown and shiny.
It can irritate the skin. There are about 50 Polygonum species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate and subtropical plant. It grows in wet areas above 1500 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. It grows in wetlands. It grows in Inner Mongolia in China. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Botswana, Britain, Cambodia, Central Asia, Chile, China, East Africa, Eswatini, Europe, France, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Manchuria, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Russia, SE Asia, Siberia, Sikkim, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
CAUTION: It can damage the skin and is suspected of causing death in cattle. (Often animals forget to cook their food!) The shoots are scalded and then fried with butter, cream, flour or eggs. The seeds can be ground and used to thicken soups. The leaves are slightly sour and chewed as a snack.
It is a main wild vegetable in the Hexi corridor QiLian mountains China.
Edible parts
Leaves, seeds
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Curlytop knotweed, Hurangan chihi, Savanyu keserufu, Tirson, Willow smartweed
Synonyms
Dioctis maculatum Raf.; Dioctis vernum Raf.; Discolenta lapathifolia Raf.; Persicaria hypanica (Klokov) Tzvelev; Persicaria lapathifolia (L.) Gray; Persicaria linicola (Sutulov) Nenukow; Persicaria oneillii Brenchle; Persicaria saporoviensis (Klokov) Tzvelev; Persicaria scabra (Moench) Moldenke; Persicaria tomentosa (Schrank) E. P. Bicknell; Peutalis nodosa (Pers.) Raf.; Polygonum brittingeri Opiz; Polygonum glandulosum Kit.; Polygonum incanum F. W. Schmidt; Polygonum incarnatum Elliott; Polygonum lapathifolium L.; Polygonum nodosum Pers.; Polygonum pallidum With.; Polygonum saporoviense Klokov; Polygonum scabrum Moench; Polygonum tomentosum Schrank; Polygonum utriculatum Remy;