Polygonum minimum
Encyclopedia
Polygonum minimum is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family
known by the common name broadleaf knotweed. It is native to much of western North America where it can be found in mountainous regions. It grows in the subalpine
and alpine climate
s of high mountain ranges from Alaska
to the southwestern US.
s occur in the leaf axils, each bearing one or more five-lobed white flowers.
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
known by the common name broadleaf knotweed. It is native to much of western North America where it can be found in mountainous regions. It grows in the subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
and alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s of high mountain ranges from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to the southwestern US.
Description
Polygonum minimum is an annual herb producing slender, stiff, zigzag-angled reddish stems up to 30 centimeters long, growing prostrate or erect. The leaves are lance-shaped to widely oval or nearly round and are located all along the stems but most crowded near the tips. InflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s occur in the leaf axils, each bearing one or more five-lobed white flowers.