Prostrate Knotweed (Polygonum acetosum)
Description
Polygonum aviculare or common knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called prostrate knotweed, birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October. It is widespread across many countries in temperate regions, apparently native to Eurasia and North America, naturalized in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere.Common knotgrass is an annual herb with a semi-erect stem that may grow from 10 to 40-cm (4 to 16-in) high. The-leaves-are hairless and short-stalked. They are-longish-elliptical-with short stalks and rounded bases; the upper ones are few and are linear and stalkless. The-stipules-are fused into a stem-enclosing, translucent sheath known as an-ochrea-that is membranous and silvery. The-flowers-are regular, green with white or pink margins. Each has five-perianth-segments, overlapping at the base, five to eight stamens and three fused carpels. The fruit is a dark brown, three-edged nut. The seeds need light to germinate which is why this plant appears in disturbed soil in locations where its seeds may have lain-dormant-for years.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Polygonaceae
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Genus: Polygonum
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