Pale Smartweed, Pale Knotweed
It is a temperate and subtropical plant. It grows in wet areas above 1500 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. It grows in wetlands. It grows in Inner Mongolia in China. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Also known as:
Curlytop knotweed, Hurangan chihi, Savanyu keserufu, Willow smartweed
Synonyms
- Dioctis maculatum Raf.
- Dioctis vernum Raf.
- Discolenta lapathifolia Raf.
- Persicaria hypanica (Klokov) Tzvelev
- Persicaria lapathifolia (L.) Gray
- Persicaria linicola (Sutulov) Nenukow
- Persicaria oneillii Brenchle
- Persicaria saporoviensis (Klokov) Tzvelev
- Persicaria scabra (Moench) Moldenke
- Persicaria tomentosa (Schrank) E. P. Bicknell
- Peutalis nodosa (Pers.) Raf.
- Polygonum brittingeri Opiz
- Polygonum glandulosum Kit.
- Polygonum incanum F. W. Schmidt
- Polygonum incarnatum Elliott
- Polygonum lapathifolium L.
- Polygonum nodosum Pers.
- Polygonum pallidum With.
- Polygonum saporoviense Klokov
- Polygonum scabrum Moench
- Polygonum tomentosum Schrank
- Polygonum utriculatum Remy
Edible Portion
- Leaves, Seeds
Where does Pale Smartweed grow?
Found in: Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Botswana, Britain, Central Asia, Chile, China, East Africa, Eswatini, Europe, France, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Russia, SE Asia, Siberia, Sikkim, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uruguay, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Notes: It can irritate the skin. There are about 50 Polygonum species.
Status: It is a main wild vegetable in the Hexi corridor QiLian mountains China.
Growing Pale Smartweed, Pale Knotweed
Edible Uses: CAUTION: It can damage the skin and is suspected of causing death in cattle. (Often animals forget to cook their food!) The shoots are scalded and then fried with butter, cream, flour or eggs. The seeds can be ground and used to thicken soups. The leaves are slightly sour and chewed as a snack.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Chinese Nutrition Journal, 2002, Vol 23(8) p 298
Caton, J.M. & Hardwick, R. J., 2016, Field Guide to Useful Native Plants from Temperate Australia. Harbour Publishing House. p 168
Dashorst, G.R.M., and Jessop, J.P., 1998, Plants of the Adelaide Plains & Hills. Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium. p 52
Denes, A., et al, 2012, Wild plants used for food by Hungarian ethnic groups living in the Carpathian Basin. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81 (4): 381-396 (As Polygonum lapathifolium)
Duke, J.A., 1992, Handbook of Edible Weeds. CRC Press. p 154
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 5 (As Polygonum lapathifolium)
Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
Irving, M., 2009, The Forager Handbook, A Guide to the Edible Plants of Britain. Ebury Press p 175
Khasbagan, Hu-Yin Huai, and Sheng-Ji pei, 2000, Wild Plants in the Diet of Athorchin Mongol Herdsmen in Inner Mongolia. Economic Botany 54(4): 528-536 (As Polygonum lapathifolium)
Łukasz Łuczaj and Wojciech M Szymański, 2007, Wild vascular plants gathered for consumption in the Polish countryside: a review. J Ethnobiol Ethnomedicine. 3: 17 (As Polygonum lapathifolium)
Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 194
Leach, G.J., & Osborne, P.L., 1985, Freshwater Plants of Papua New Guinea. UPNG Press, p 213
Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 424
Nat. arr. Brit. pl. 2:270. 1821
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Sainty, G.R. & Jacobs, S.W.L., 1981, Waterplants of New South Wales. Water Resources Commission. NSW p 349
Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Tasmanian Herbarium Vascular Plants list p 45
Wang, J. et al, 2013, A Study on the Utilization of Wild Plants for Food in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Plant Diversity and Resources. 35(4): 416-471 (As Polygonum lapathifolia)
Wujisguleng, W., & Khasbagen. K., 2010, An integrated assessment of wild vegetable resources in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 6:34 (As Polygonum lapathifolium)
www.eflora.org Flora of China (As Polygonum lapathifolia)
Zhang, Y., et al, 2014, Diversity of wetland plants used traditionally in China: a literature review. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 10:72