E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Polygonum aviculare L.
common knotweed (prostrate knotweed)
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #64157)

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Distribution of Polygonum aviculare
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a taproot stems prostrate to erect, several, branched, ridged, 10-100 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, widely linear to lanceolate-oblong, mostly bluish-green, the blades 1-3 cm long, slightly reduced upwards, the stalks short, jointed; branch leaves smaller than stem leaves; sheathing stipules brown, ragged, 3-6 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of 1-3 axillary flowers; perianths 2-3 mm long, greenish with white or pink to red margins, 5-lobed more than 1/2 the distance to the base.
Fruits:
Achenes, 3-angled, dark brown, obscurely lined lengthwise, pimply, 2.8-3.5 mm long, included to slightly exserted.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry disturbed sites, roadsides and waste places; common in S BC, less frequent northward; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Polygonum aviculare

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 916 1034 1293
Slope Gradient (%) 0 16 58
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		90 118 225
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 5 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 E
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 5
Modal BEC Zone Class
 IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ICH(1), IDF(3)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Polygonum aviculare var. angustissimum Meisn.
Polygonum aviculare var. vegetum Ledeb.
Polygonum heterophyllum Lindl.
Polygonum monspeliense Pers.
Polygonum provinciale K. Koch

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Polygonaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Polygonum aviculare
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-10 12:13:31 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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