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This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.

[FTEA]

Polygonaceae, R. A. Graham. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1958

Habit
Hermaphrodite herbs or (rarely) shrubs, glabrous to very hairy, slender or stout, often paludal
Ocrea
Ocreae with or without a terminal fringe of stiff bristles
Flowers
Flowers (in E. African spp.) borne in spiciform racemes or terminal capitula
Bracteoles
Bracteoles 2, conjoined, thinly membranous and contained within the ocreiform bracts
Perianth
Perianth (in E. African spp.) not accrescent, calyciform at the base, with 4–5, often imbricate, petaloid, ± persistent tepals
Stamens
Stamens 5–8, included or protruding, a little dilated at the base or conjoined there into a ring
Pistil
Styles 2 or 3, often united for part of their length; stigmas capitate
Fruits
Ripe nuts often black and shining, acutely to obscurely trigonous, or lenticular with convex or concave (dimpled) sides.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Habit
Herbs or dwarf shrubs, glabrous or hairy
Stipules
Ochreae with or without bristles at the margin
Inflorescences
Flowers bisexual, in spikes (in Somalia), solitary or variously clustered
Tepal
Tepals 4–5, free or united at the base, petaloid, not enlarging in fruit
Stamens
Stamens (5–)8
Style
Styles 2 or 3; stigmas capitate
Fruits
Nuts trigonous or lens-shaped, enclosed in the persistent perianth or partly exserted.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan genus of some 115 species.
Note
The Somali species belong to sect. Persicaria (Mill.) DC., a group which is often given generic rank (see, e.g., Wilson in Kew Bull. 45: 621–636 (1990).

[FZ]

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 9, Part 3. Polygonaceae-Myriaceae. Pope GV, Polhill RM, Martins ES. 2006.

Leaves
Leaves alternate, small, usually less than 2 cm long and articulated at the base, lanceolate-elliptic to oblong Leaves alternate, small, usually less than 2 cm long and articulated at the base, lanceolate-elliptic to oblong.
Ocrea
Ocrea membranaceous, silvery or white, often deeply lacerate, glabrous Ocrea membranaceous, silvery or white, often deeply lacerate, glabrous.
Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual, solitary or in sessile fascicles springing from the axils of bracts; bracteoles 2, fused, thinly membranous and contained within the bracts Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual, solitary or in sessile fascicles springing from the axils of bracts; bracteoles 2, fused, thinly membranous and contained within the bracts.
Perianth
Perianth segments (4)5, equal or somewhat unequal in length, spirally arranged, often imbricate, free or united in the lower part, petaloid at least in part, with only one main vein (the vein sometimes branched); outer segments keeled or slightly angular, different from the inner Perianth segments (4)5, equal or somewhat unequal in length, spirally arranged, often imbricate, free or united in the lower part, petaloid at least in part, with only one main vein (the vein sometimes branched); outer segments keeled or slightly angular, different from the inner.
Stamens
Stamens 4–6, rarely fewer, included or not; filaments broadly dilated in the lower half, free or sometimes united at the base into a ring; anthers globose or ellipsoid, dorsifixed; interstaminal nectaries lacking Stamens 4–6, rarely fewer, included or not; filaments broadly dilated in the lower half, free or sometimes united at the base into a ring; anthers globose or ellipsoid, dorsifixed; interstaminal nectaries lacking.
Ovary
Ovary included in the perianth; styles (2)3, free; stigmas capitate
Fruits
Nut trigonous, enclosed in the persistent perianth or protruding from it for less than half its length. Nut trigonous, enclosed in the persistent perianth or protruding from it for less than half its length.
Distribution
A cosmopolitan genus of c. 20 species, most occurring in north temperate regions (knotweeds).
Habit
Annual or perennial prostrate or semi-erect herbs (rarely shrubs), glabrous or hairy. Annual or perennial prostrate or semi-erect herbs (rarely shrubs), glabrous or hairy
Stem
Stems much branched. Stems much branched
Pistil
Ovary included in the perianth; styles (2)3, free; stigmas capitate.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Burkina, Buryatiya, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Chad, Chile Central, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Florida, France, Free State, Føroyar, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Gulf States, Hainan, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, India, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Jawa, Kamchatka, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Kuril Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Labrador, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Magadan, Maine, Malawi, Mali, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mauritania, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, Newfoundland, Niger, Nigeria, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Qinghai, Queensland, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sicilia, Sinai, South Australia, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sumatera, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Western Australia, Western Sahara, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Yukon, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Chile North, Colombia, Falkland Is., Juan Fernández Is., Lesotho, Mauritius, Mexico Central, New Zealand North, Paraguay, Réunion, Svalbard, Tristan da Cunha

Polygonum L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Strachey, R. [Cat. no. s.n.] K001132871

First published in Sp. Pl.: 359 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Schuster, T.M., Reveal, J.L., Bayly, M.J. & Kron, K.A. (2015). An updated molecular phylogeny of Polygonoideae (Polygonaceae): relationships of Oxygonum, Pteroxygonum, and Rumex, and a new circumscription of Koenigia Taxon 64: 1188-1208.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • A. N. Steward in Contrib. Gray Herb. Harv. 88 (1930).
  • —F.T.A. 6, 1: 103

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 98: 340–343 (1988).
  • Ronse Decraene & Akeroyd in Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 98: 340–343 (1988).
  • F.T.E.A., Polygonaceae: 13–14 (1958).
  • Graham in F.T.E.A., Polygonaceae: 13–14 (1958).
  • Meisner in de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 85–101 (1856).
  • de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 85–101 (1856).
  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 170 (1754) nom. conserv.
  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 170 (1754) nom. conserv.
  • Sp. Pl.: 359 (1753)
  • Sp. Pl.: 359 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 170 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 359 (1753)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Plants and People Africa
Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
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