Bistorta officinalis

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Bistorta officinalis
Bistorta officinalis 01.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Bistorta
Species:
B. officinalis
Binomial name
Bistorta officinalis
Delarbre [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Bistorta abbreviataKom.
  • Bistorta carnea(K.Koch) Kom. ex Tzvelev
  • Bistorta confusa(Meisn.) Greene
  • Bistorta ensigera(Juz.) Tzvelev
  • Bistorta lapidosaKitag.
  • Bistorta majorGray
  • Bistorta subauriculataKom.
  • Persicaria bistorta (L.)Samp.
  • Polygonum abbreviatumKom.
  • Polygonum bistortaL.
  • Polygonum carneumK.Koch
  • Polygonum confusumMeisn.
  • Polygonum ensigerumJuz.
  • Polygonum lapidosum(Kitag.) Kitag.
Bistorta officinalis Polygonum bistorta - Berlin Botanical Garden - IMG 8490.JPG
Bistorta officinalis

Bistorta officinalis (synonym Persicaria bistorta), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. [1] Other common names include snakeroot, snake-root, snakeweed and Easter-ledges.

Contents

Description

Bistorta officinalis is an herbaceous perennial growing to 20 to 80 centimetres (8 to 31 in) tall by 90 cm (35 in) wide. It has a thick, twisted rootstock which has probably given it its common name of snakeroot. The foliage is normally basal with a few smaller leaves produced near the lower end of the flowering stems. The leaves usually hairless; the basal ones are longish-oval with long winged stalks and rounded or heart-shaped bases; the upper ones are few and are triangular, tapered and stalkless. There are stipules at their base which are fused into a sheath surrounding the stem. The petioles are broadly winged. The inflorescence is a spike. The plant blooms from late spring into autumn, producing tall, erect, unbranched and hairless stems ending in single terminal racemes that are club-like spikes, 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long, of rose-pink flowers. [2] The individual flowers are pink with five perianth segments, eight stamens, three fused carpels and three free styles. The fruit is a glossy black nut. Flowering takes place in June and July. [3] The plant grows in moist soils and under dry conditions goes dormant, losing its foliage until adequate moisture exists again.

Taxonomy

The generic placement of this species was historically in flux, having been placed in Polygonum or Persicaria but is now accepted as Bistorta. [4]

Etymology

The Latin name bistorta, from bis ("twice") + torta ("twisted"), refers to the twisted appearance of the root.

Numerous other vernacular names have been recorded for the species in historical texts, though none is used to any extent. Many of the following refer to the plant's use in making puddings:

  • Adderwort
  • Dragonwort
  • Easter giant
  • Easter ledger
  • Easter ledges
  • Easter magiant
  • Easter man-giant      
  • Gentle dock
  • Great bistort
  • Osterick
  • Oysterloit
  • Passion dock
  • Patience dock [5]       
  • Patient dock
  • Pink pokers
  • Pudding grass
  • Pudding dock
  • Red legs
  • Snakeweed
  • Twice-writhen
  • Water ledges

Distribution and habitat

Bistort is a native of Europe but is often cultivated and has become naturalized in other parts of the world such as in the United States in New England. It is typically found growing in moist meadows, nutrient-rich wooded swamps, forest edges, wetlands, parks, gardens and disturbed ground. [6]

Cultivation

This species is grown as an ornamental garden plant, especially the form 'Superba' which has larger, more showy flowers, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [7] It is suitable for use as a marginal or in bog gardens. Bistort has been cultivated as a vegetable, its roots, leaves and young shoots being steamed or boiled. Many of its occurrences in the wild may be as a garden escape.

Uses

Bistort has been used traditionally for medicinal purposes. The roots are rich in tannic and gallic acids and both these and the leaves have been used to treat wounds. [3]

In Northern England the plant was used to make a bitter pudding in Lent from a combination of the leaves, oatmeal, egg and other herbs. It is the principal ingredient of dock pudding or Easter-Ledge pudding. [8] The root of Bistort can be used to produce an astringent that was used in medicine. The roots are also eaten in Russia and northern Asia. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polygonaceae</span> Knotweed family of flowering plants

The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum, and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name may refer to the many swollen nodes the stems of some species have, being derived from Greek [poly meaning 'many' and gony meaning 'knee' or 'joint']. Alternatively, it may have a different origin, meaning 'many seeds'.

<i>Persicaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae

Persicaria is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds or smartweeds. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring nearly worldwide. The genus was segregated from Polygonum.

<i>Polygonum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the knotweed family Polygonaceae

Polygonum is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass. In the Middle English glossary of herbs Alphita, it was known as ars-smerte. There have been various opinions about how broadly the genus should be defined. For example, buckwheat has sometimes been included in the genus as Polygonum fagopyrum. Former genera such as Polygonella have been subsumed into Polygonum; other genera have been split off.

<i>Bistorta vivipara</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae

Bistorta vivipara is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae, commonly known as alpine bistort. Scientific synonyms include Bistorta vivipara and Polygonum viviparum. It is common all over the high Arctic through Europe, North America, incl. Greenland, and temperate and tropical Asia. Its range stretches further south in high mountainous areas such as the Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Alaska and the Tibetan Plateau.

<i>Rumex obtusifolius</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae

Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf, dockens or butter dock, is a perennial plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Europe, but is found on all temperate continents. It is a highly invasive species in some zones, resulting from its abundant seed dispersal, adaptability to reproduce, aggressive roots, ability to tolerate extreme climates, and hardiness.

Dragonwort is a common name for a plant which may refer to:

<i>Bistorta affinis</i> Species of plant

Bistorta affinis, the Himalayan bistort, fleece flower, or knotweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to the Himalayas.

<i>Persicaria amphibia</i> Species of plant

Persicaria amphibia is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by several common names, including longroot smartweed, water knotweed, water smartweed, and amphibious bistort. It is native to much of North America, Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa, and it grows elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed.

<i>Persicaria punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Persicaria punctata is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names dotted smartweed and dotted knotweed.

<i>Bistorta</i> Genus of flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae

Bistorta is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. As of February 2019 about 40 species are accepted. It has been supported as a separate clade by molecular phylogenetic analysis. Bistorta species are native throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, as far south as Mexico in North America and Thailand in Asia.

<i>Bistorta bistortoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae

Bistorta bistortoides is a perennial herb in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. The species name remains unresolved.

Middle Side and Stonygill Meadows is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Teesdale district of County Durham, England. It consists of two separate areas, one to the north of the River Tees, the other on the south bank, about 2 km upstream from the village of Middleton-in-Teesdale. The Park End Wood and Middle Crossthwaite SSSIs lie on the same stretch of floodplain, the Teesdale Allotments SSSI is a short distance to the north, while the higher ground to the south of the river is part of the Upper Teesdale SSSI.

<i>Persicaria longiseta</i> Species of plant

Persicaria longiseta is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names Oriental lady's thumb, bristly lady's thumb, Asiatic smartweed, long-bristled smartweed, low smartweed, Asiatic waterpepper, bristled knotweed, bunchy knotweed, and tufted knotweed. It is native to Asia, and it is present in North America and Europe as an introduced species and often a weed.

<i>Bistorta amplexicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Bistorta amplexicaulis, the red bistort or mountain fleece, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae, native to China, the Himalayas, and Pakistan. It is a damp-loving herbaceous perennial growing to 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and wide, with heart-shaped pointed leaves, downy beneath, and narrow spikes of rose-red or white flowers in summer.

<i>Bistorta macrophylla</i> Species of plant

Bistorta macrophylla is a flowering plant species in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. It is native to mountain regions of West and South China, Bhutan, Nepal, northern India, and Pakistan.

<i>Persicaria decipiens</i> Species of plant

Persicaria decipiens, commonly known as slender knotweed, is a species of flowering plant native to Australia and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polygonoideae</span> Subfamily of the knotweed family of plants (Polygonaceae)

Polygonoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Polygonaceae. It includes a number of plants that can be highly invasive, such as Japanese knotweed, Reynoutria japonica, and its hybrid with R. sachalinensis, R. × bohemica. Boundaries between the genera placed in the subfamily and their relationships have long been problematic, but a series of molecular phylogenetic studies have clarified some of them, resulting in the division of the subfamily into seven tribes.

Rumex utahensis is a flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae. The common name for this species is Utah dock. It is a dicot, perennial herb that is native to the United states, growing only in the West.

Bistorta plumosa is a flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae, or buckwheat family. Common names for Bistorta Plumosa include meadow bistort. Bistorta plumosa is monoecious, with flowers containing both male and female reproductive parts that are pollinated by insects. Birstorta plumosa flowers annually in the summer months from May to June and can be found in habitats ranging from moist to dry sites and tundra in North America, Alaska, Yukon, the Northwest Territory, and East Asia.

<i>Koenigia <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> fennica</i> Species of flowering plant

Koenigia × fennica, known as Finnish knotweed, is a hybrid between two species of Koenigia, K. alpina and K. weyrichii, members of the family Polygonaceae, the knotweed family. It generally only known as a cultivated garden plant, but plants have been recorded a few times surviving in abandoned areas in northern Europe, especially in Finland. The cultivar 'Johanniswolke' is considered an attractive ornamental perennial plant.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bistorta officinalisDelarbre". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  2. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  3. 1 2 "Bistort: Bistorta officinalis". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
  4. Schuster et al 2015.
  5. this name is also used for Rumex patientia
  6. "Bistorta officinalis (meadow bistort)". Go Botany. New England Wildflower Society. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
  7. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=3789 [ dead link ]
  8. Easter-Ledge or Dock Pudding - Historical Foods Archived 2011-06-24 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Pieroni, Andrea (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN   0415927463.

Bibliography