Scientific Name:
Polygonum aviculare
Pronunciation:
puh-LIG-uh-num uh-vick-you-LAIR-ee
Common Name:
prostrate knotweed
Family Name:
Polygonaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (true), Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Annual herb with taproot often found emerging from concrete cracks and growing horizontally (prostrate); leaves alternate, most elliptical, 6-9(-25)mm long x 2-4(-10)mm wide; flowers axillary, 5 petals 2-3 mm long, white-pink-red; achenes 3-angled, ~3mm long.
Habit:
Horizontal
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
< 0.1m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe, North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry
Landscape Uses:
n/a
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Sep
Additional Info:
1-3 per leaf axil
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Red, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red
Organ Modifications:
Stipule (leafy), Storage tap root, Ocrea (thin membranous sheath encircling stem at each leaf base; Stems swollen at nodes
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
(Rabbit resistant)
