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Useful Temperate Plants

Persicaria thunbergii

(Siebold & Zucc.) H.Gross

Polygonaceae

+ Synonyms

Helxine arifolia Raf.

Persicaria hastatotriloba (Meisn.) Okuyama

Persicaria oreophila (Makino) Hiyama

Persicaria stellatotomentosa (W.W.Sm. & Ramaswami) Nakai

Polygonum arifolium Thunb.

Polygonum hastatotrilobum Meisn.

Polygonum hastatum Zoll. & Moritzi

Polygonum oreophilum (Makino) Ohwi

Polygonum pteropus Hance

Polygonum stellatotomentosum W.W.Sm. & Ramaswami

Polygonum stoloniferum F.Schmidt

Polygonum thunbergii Siebold & Zucc.

Tracaulon hastatotrilobum (Meisn.) Greene

Tracaulon thunbergii (Siebold & Zucc.) Greene

Truellum oreophilum (Makino) Soják

Truellum stellatotomentosum (W.W.Sm. & Ramaswami) Soják

Truellum thunbergii (Siebold & Zucc.) Soják

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Polygonum thunbergii is a prickly, erect to ascending annual plant that can grow around 30 - 90cm tall[
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It has been shown to have excellent potential for use as a hyperaccumulator, being grown in soils polluted with heavy metals in order to remove them.

Known Hazards

Although no specific mention has been made for this species, there have been reports that some members of this genus can cause photosensitivity in susceptible people.
Many species also contain oxalic acid (the distinctive lemony flavour of sorrel) - whilst not toxic this substance can bind up other minerals making them unavailable to the body and leading to mineral deficiency. Having said that, a number of common foods such as sorrel and rhubarb contain oxalic acid and the leaves of most members of this genus are nutritious and beneficial to eat in moderate quantities. Cooking the leaves will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[
238
Title
Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
Publication
 
Author
Bown. D.
Publisher
Dorling Kindersley, London.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-7513-020-31
Description
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
].

Botanical References

58
Title
Flora of Japan. (English translation)
Publication
 
Author
Ohwi. G.
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution
Year
1965
ISBN
-
Description
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
,
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.

Range

E. Asia - Russian Far East, eastern China, Japan, Korea, northeast India, Vietnam, Thailand.

Habitat

Wet grassy places in lowland and mountains all over Japan[
58
Title
Flora of Japan. (English translation)
Publication
 
Author
Ohwi. G.
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution
Year
1965
ISBN
-
Description
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
]. Wet valleys, grassy slopes; at elevations from 100 - 2,400 metres[
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.70 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Species in this genus generally succeed in an ordinary garden soil, whilst preferring a moisture retentive not too fertile soil in sun or part shade[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. They generally rpays generous treatment[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
Most plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[
233
Title
Perennial Garden Plants
Publication
 
Author
Thomas. G. S.
Publisher
J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
Year
1990
ISBN
0 460 86048 8
Description
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
].

Edible Uses

Young plant - cooked[
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].

We have no specific information for this species, but the seed of most, if not all, members of the genus is edible both raw and cooked, and is potentially a good source of amino acids. Unfortunately the seed is also usually rather small and fiddly to utilize[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has been shown to have excellent potentional as a bio-accumulator to take up heavy metals from polluted soils. It is especially effective in removing copper and zinc[
1110
Title
Investigation of heavy metal accumulation in Polygonum thunbergii for phytoextraction
Publication
Environmental Pollution Volume 126, Issue 2, November 2003, Pages 235-243
Author
Kim IS, Kang KH, Green PJ, Lee EJ
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(03)00190-8
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
A paper showing the potential of Polygonum thunbergii in phytoremediation
]. The plants are grown in the polluted soil then removed, thus removing some of the metals, The plants are burnt to ash - the metals can be recovered from the ash, or the ash buried in a safe site[
1110
Title
Investigation of heavy metal accumulation in Polygonum thunbergii for phytoextraction
Publication
Environmental Pollution Volume 126, Issue 2, November 2003, Pages 235-243
Author
Kim IS, Kang KH, Green PJ, Lee EJ
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(03)00190-8
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
A paper showing the potential of Polygonum thunbergii in phytoremediation
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually free and easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Persicaria+thunbergii>

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