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Persicaria prostrata facts for kids

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Persicaria prostrata
P3088348 Persicaria prostrata.jpg
Scientific classification
Genus:
Persicaria
Species:
prostrata
Persicaria prostrata distribution 8March2020.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms
  • 'Polygonum prostratum R.Br.

Persicaria prostrata, basionym Polygonum prostratum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to Australia and perhaps New Zealand. It is known by the common name of creeping knotweed.

Description

Decumbent perennial herb with stems up to about 40 cm long. Leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 1–5 cm long, 3–10 mm wide with short hairs on the margins and main veins. Ochreas lobed with hairs 1–2 mm long. Compact short cylindrical flower spikes from 0.6–4 cm long and 4–7 mm diameter.

Ecology

Persicaria prostrata grows on banks of streams, ground-tanks and ditches and on heavy soils in areas prone to inundation.

Taxonomy

The plant was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown as Polygonum prostratum, but was assigned to the genus,Persicaria, by Jiří Soják in 1974.

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