Polygonum barbatum
Polygonum barbatum
Polygonum barbatum
MH246 : Polygonum barbatum L.
| Plant Category | : | Herbs |
| Melghat's Flora's Serial No. | : | 443 |
| Synonym | : | Persicaria barbata (L.) Hara.;
Polygonum serrulatum Lagasca.;
Polygonum stagninum Meisner.; |
| Plant Common Name | : | knot grass |
| Plant Family | : | Polygonaceae |
| Description | : | a herbaceous perennial weed, branching and tillering from the base, basal branches creeping and rooting, other branches erect, 40-80 cm tall. Stem cylindrical, hollow, thickened at the nodes, glabrous to appressed pilose; ochrea tubular, amplexicaul, tight, often torn, 1.5-2.5 cm long, membraneous, the many strong nerves extended into filiform, 0.5-2 cm-long appendages. Leaves entire, helically arranged, shortly petioled, oblong to lanceolate, with acute to obtuse or subcordate base and acute apex; sometimes with brown spot, with many transparent ascendent lateral nerves, both sides more or less densely long- or short-appressed hairy, or glabrous above, 8-20 x 1.5-3 cm. Inflorescence terminal and in the upper axils; sparingly branched, the raceme erect, 2-8 spikes combined into dense, cylindrical pseudo-spikes, 2-6 cm x 7-8 mm; lower pseudo-spikes peduncled, upper ones sessile. Flowers all the year round, actinomorphic, bisexual, 3-5 in the axil of a funnel-shaped bract; pedicel subequal to bract; bract obconical, glabrous or appressed-hairy, 2.5-3 mm long, apex fimbriate; perigone persistent, eglandular, 5-cleft, white to greenish white, sometimes pink, 2-2.3 mm long; lobes imbricate, oval, obtuse. Stamens 6-7, subequal to perianth, inserted around a lobed disc, filaments filiform; anthers dorsiflexed, 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, with one cell, 1-ovulate, trigonous, style (3-2)-armed; stigma capitate. Fruit indehiscent, usually trigonous, sides flat or slightly convex, rarely lenticular, glossy black, 1.8-2 mm long. Seed with much endosperm. |
| Plant Location in Melghat | : | - |
| Medicinal Use / Activity | : | The seeds are used to relieve the griping pains of colic. The root is astringent and cooling. A paste of the root is used externally in the treatment of scabies. |
| Plant's Phytochemicals | : | COMPOUNDS: oxalic acid; sitosterone; viscozulenic acid; acetophenone; ACTIVE COMPOUNDS (1): Oxalic acid; |
| Plant's Current Status | : | |
| Plant's Cross Database Reference | : | 259142 |
| Reference | : | Dhore M. A. (1984) The flora of melghat tiger reserve
- https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/42686
- http://temperate.theferns.info/plant/Polygonum+barbatum
- https://hero.epa.gov/hero/index.cfm/reference/details/reference_id/1115708
- http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200006714
- http://idao.cirad.fr/content/oswald/species/p/polba/polba_en.html |
| Reference | : | ~ Dhore MA and Joshi PA; "Flora of Melghat Tiger Reserve"; Directorate, Project Tiger, Melghat (1988); PMID : |
| Kingdom | : Plantae - Plants |
|---|---|
| Phylum | : Tracheophyta |
| Subkingdom | : Tracheobionta - Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | : Spermatophyta - Seed plants |
| Division | : Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class | : Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons |
| Subclass | : Caryophyllidae |
| Order | : Polygonales |
| Family | : Polygonaceae - Buckwheat family |
| Genus | : Polygonum L. - knotweed |
| Species | : Polygonum barbatum |