Persicaria is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds or smartweeds. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring nearly worldwide. The genus was segregated from Polygonum.
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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, 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.
Diversity
There are about 66, 100 to 150 species in this genus, depending on how it is defined.
Species names include:
Persicaria acuminata (Kunth) M. Gómez
Persicaria affinis (a synonym of Polygonum affine D. Don) – fleece flower
Persicaria alata (a synonym of Persicaria nepalensis (Meisn.) Miyabe)
Persicaria alpina – alpine knotweed
Persicaria amphibia (Polygonum amphibium) – amphibious bistort, water smartweed
Persicaria amplexicaulis (Polygonum amplexicaule) – mountain fleece, red bistort
Persicaria arcuata (Greene) Greene
Persicaria arifolia – halberd-leaf tearthumb
Persicaria attenuata (R.Br.) Sojak
Persicaria barbata (L.) H.Hara
Persicaria bicornis – pink smartweed
Persicaria bistorta (Polygonum bistorta) – common bistort
