Persicaria lapathifolia
Dock knotweed
The dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia, also Polygonum lapathifolium ) is a plant species of the family of the buckwheat family ( Polygonaceae ).
Description
Annual herbs can be very different heights reach (10 cm to 1.5 m). They grow ascending to erect, much branched, up only slightly branched. At the near-Earth nodes often rooted. The stems are glabrous, rarely also furnished with short and pressed or slightly glandular. They are often quite red, red overrun or red dots.
The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, and depending on the subspecies 2 times to 6 times as long as wide. Often they have a dark red spot in the center of the leaf surface. The Ochrea is brown and cylindrical. In contrast to similar flea knotweed ( Persicaria maculosa ) the Ochrea is ciliated bald at the top or only short (< 0.5 mm).
The inflorescences are mostly terminal, sometimes leaf axils. They consist of 2-5 loosely separated pseudo-spikes. These themselves are tight cylindrical. You can be upright or slightly overhanging. Their diameter is the time fruit 6-8 mm. The flowers are greenish white to pink. They consist of 4, rarely 5 tepals.
Ecology
The dock Knotweed is an annual, sommerannuell and rooted deep 20 to over 100 cm. Because of the low production of nectar of the flowers to visit is sparse and it is usually done self-pollination. Bloom time is from June to October.
The flat, to 3 mm long and 3 mg severe nut fruits are usually spread along with the perianth. When Fester The tepals at the top of the hook-shaped curved vascular bundles remain as points are available and allow a Velcro spread. In addition, random spreading is done by ungulates, editing spread by birds and humans spread through procrastination with arable soil. In addition, the plant is a gravel hikers along running waters. Fruit ripening is from September to October.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The species is almost cosmopolitan spread. In Central Europe it is widespread everywhere and often.
It grows mostly in wet or moist, bare soil, sandy or gravelly both muddy as preferred nutrient-rich areas such as in ditches, on river banks or earthy wet field margins.
Use
The dock knotweed is sometimes used as a nutrient-rich pig feed.
Subspecies
The dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia sl) is a difficult Artkomplex, which is divided into several dozen small species whose status is, however, usually not yet fully understood. To distinguish the small species, in particular the leaf shape and hairiness, the color of the flowers and the growth form are used.
The following list of species occurring in Germany Klein ( here as subspecies ) depends on Häupler. However, there are a vast number of synonyms.
- Common sorrel knotweed or shore dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia s.str. Persicaria or lapathifolia subsp. Lapathifolia (L.) Delarbre )
- River dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia subsp. Brittingeri ( Opiz ) Sojak )
- Middle dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia subsp. Mesomorpha ( Danser ) Sojak )
- Arable dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia subsp. Pallida ( With. ) A.Löve )
- Linseed dock knotweed ( Persicaria lapathifolia subsp. Leptoclada ( Danser ) Wisskirchen )