Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Polygonum aviculare
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, naturalized in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Common knotgrass is an annual, low-prostrate herb with semi-erect, branching stems, which forms patches up to about 2 m across as it matures. It has alternate linear-lanceolate leaves which are longer (7-15 mm) on the main stems than on the branches (3-5 mm). The whole plant is hairless and green, although it may appear mealy due to a powdery mildew, which can give the leaves a whitish appearance. The leaves fall early, especially on the main stem. The leaf stalks (petioles) are up to 5 mm long or sometimes absent. Above each leaf there is an ochrea, which is a translucent papery stipule that surrounds the stem.
The inflorescences occur in the leaf axils and consist of a group of 1-6 flowers, each on a very short (1 mm) stalk (pedicel). The flowers are green with white or pink margins, ranging in size from 2 to 4.5 mm. Each flower has five overlapping perianth segments, fused into a cup for about a third of their length, with 8 stamens and 3 carpels.
The fruit is a dark brown nut 1.5 - 3.5 mm long with 3 concave sides and a dull, leathery sheen. When ripe it is enclosed in the perianth. 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.
The name "Polygonum" comes from the Ancient Greek for "many knees", in reference to the prominent joints (nodes) along the stem. The specific epithet "aviculare" means "little bird", possibly because the fruits resemble a bird's beak or an egg. Common names include birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass.
Polygonum aviculare has a wide distribution as an arable weed and plant of fields, shingle, sand, roadsides, yards and waste places. There is much morphological variation among different populations and several different sub-species are recognized:
Native to Eurasia, now a widespread invasive worldwide.
It is common on roadsides and arable ground in the British Isles.
Hub AI
Polygonum aviculare AI simulator
(@Polygonum aviculare_simulator)
Polygonum aviculare
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, naturalized in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Common knotgrass is an annual, low-prostrate herb with semi-erect, branching stems, which forms patches up to about 2 m across as it matures. It has alternate linear-lanceolate leaves which are longer (7-15 mm) on the main stems than on the branches (3-5 mm). The whole plant is hairless and green, although it may appear mealy due to a powdery mildew, which can give the leaves a whitish appearance. The leaves fall early, especially on the main stem. The leaf stalks (petioles) are up to 5 mm long or sometimes absent. Above each leaf there is an ochrea, which is a translucent papery stipule that surrounds the stem.
The inflorescences occur in the leaf axils and consist of a group of 1-6 flowers, each on a very short (1 mm) stalk (pedicel). The flowers are green with white or pink margins, ranging in size from 2 to 4.5 mm. Each flower has five overlapping perianth segments, fused into a cup for about a third of their length, with 8 stamens and 3 carpels.
The fruit is a dark brown nut 1.5 - 3.5 mm long with 3 concave sides and a dull, leathery sheen. When ripe it is enclosed in the perianth. 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.
The name "Polygonum" comes from the Ancient Greek for "many knees", in reference to the prominent joints (nodes) along the stem. The specific epithet "aviculare" means "little bird", possibly because the fruits resemble a bird's beak or an egg. Common names include birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass.
Polygonum aviculare has a wide distribution as an arable weed and plant of fields, shingle, sand, roadsides, yards and waste places. There is much morphological variation among different populations and several different sub-species are recognized:
Native to Eurasia, now a widespread invasive worldwide.
It is common on roadsides and arable ground in the British Isles.