Persicaria bistorta

Description

A small herb. It grows 1-75 cm high and spreads 15-75 cm wide. It keeps growing from year to year. It has stout rootstocks. The rhizomes are black to brown. They are large and curved and 1-3 cm across. The leaves at the base have long stalks and the leaves on the stem do not have stalks. The leaves are oval and wavy. They are 10-20 cm long. They have rounded tips and flattened bases. They have a stiff leathery texture. They are on winged stalks. The flowers are in dense spikes. The flowers are small and pink. They are on a spike 8 cm long and 1 cm wide. These are cylinder shaped.

Edible Uses

The thick starch-rich rhizomes are dried, ground into flour, and added to stews, or eaten raw or cooked. Shoots are used in soups, stews, and Easter ledger pudding. Roots and young leaves are cooked and eaten as vegetables. Young leaves are eaten with oil. Flowers are also edible.

Traditional Uses

The thick roots or rhizomes, rich in starch, are dried and ground into flour. They can be added to stews. The shoots are used in soups and stews. They are used for Easter ledger pudding. The root and young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The young leaves are eaten with oil. The rhizomes can be eaten raw or cooked.

Medicinal 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. 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. 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.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in cold temperate regions. In northern China it grows between 800-3,000 m above sea level. It grows in hilly grassland and fields. It grows in the subarctic tundra. It suits moist locations. It suits hardiness zones 3-7.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Albania, Asia, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, North America, Northeastern India, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Sikkim, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia,

Other Information

It is eaten in parts of Britain to purify the blood.

Notes

There are about 50 Polygonum species. The leaves are rich in Vit C and Vit A.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bistort, Cimeneveligi, Easter ledges, English Serpentary, Kačja dresen, Linboina, Lingo boino, Mountain meadow bistort, Neqenllaq, Passion Dock, Pink plumes, Plume flower, Snakeroot, Snakeweed, Srcanica, Srcenjak, Syukl'yak, Wezownik

References (33)

• Ainana, L. & Zagrebin, I., 2014, Edible Plants Used by the Siberian Yupik Eskimos of Southeastern Chukotka Peninsula, Russia, (English translation). p 49 (As Bistorta ellipticum)
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 479
• Cakir, E. A., 2017, Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants of Iğdır Province (East Anatolia, Turkey). Acta Soc Bot Pol. 2017;86(4):3568
• Cerne, M., 1992, Wild Plants from Slovenia used as Vegetables. Acta Horticulturae 318 (As Polygonum bistorta)
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1012

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