Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Caryophyllales

Polygonaceae - Knotweed family

Graham, R.A. (1958) Polygonaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa

Nogueira, I., Ortiz, S. & Paiva, J.A.R. (2006) Polygonaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(3)

Description of the family

Herbs (mostly, in ours), shrubs, climbers or rarely trees. Stems usually with sheathing stipules (ochreae). Leaves simple, alternate (rarely subopposite). Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual or unisexual. Petals 0. Perianth segments 3-6, sepaloid or petaloid, free or connate, persistent. Ovary superior, 1-locular, with a solitary ovule. Fruit a nut, indehiscent, hard, 3-angled or biconvex, usually enveloped in the perianth. Seeds with abundant endosperm.

Worldwide: 46 genera and 1100 species, ± cosmopolitan, but especially northern temperate.

Malawi: 5 genera and 21 taxa.

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Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Antigonon Endl.Description
Oxygonum Burch.Description
Persicaria (L.) Mill.Description
Polygonum L.Description, Image
Rumex L.Description

Other sources of information about Polygonaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Polygonaceae
Flora of Burundi: Polygonaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Polygonaceae
Flora of the DRC: Polygonaceae
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Polygonaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Polygonaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Polygonaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Polygonaceae
Flora of Zambia: Polygonaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Polygonaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Polygonaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Polygonaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Polygonaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Polygonaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Polygonaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Polygonaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Polygonaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Polygonaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Polygonaceae
Wikipedia: Polygonaceae
Plants of the World Online: Polygonaceae
Tropicos: Polygonaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Family page: Polygonaceae.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=181, retrieved 7 October 2024

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