Persicaria amphibia
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644003058c322332070178 |
| Scientific name | Persicaria amphibia |
| Authority | (L.) Delarbre |
| First published in | Fl. Auvergne , ed. 2: 519 (1800) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Persicaria amphibia is an aquatic smartweed with rhizomatous roots and creeping or upright stems that thrives in ponds, slow streams, and marshes across much of North America and Eurasia. In northeastern Native American traditions, infusions and decoctions of its roots and aerial parts were recorded as medicines, while practitioners in parts of Asia made warming teas from the leaves for joint and respiratory discomfort and Poultices of the fresh leaves were used on wounds to staunch bleeding. The journal American Herbal Pharmacopoeia notes that the plant’s astringent action was routinely taken as a tea for gastrointestinal and bronchial complaints, while European herbal writers described topical application of macerated leaf material to stop bleeding (Moerman, 1998; USDA NRCS Plants Database; American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 2014).
Among the Abnaki and other Algonquian peoples, infusions or decoctions of the roots were taken for fevers and as a general tonic, while the Cherokee prepared leaf infusions for “female troubles” (irregular menses) and respiratory distress, and the Menominee used the plant as an emetic (Moerman, 1998). In traditional Chinese practice the species was considered a warming diuretic tea and respiratory remedy, and Indian herbalists of colonial Bengal recorded use of the herb as a diuretic and astringent in the treatment of dysentery (Miller & Irvine, 1982; Buchanan, 1794). Across these regions the principal plant parts used were the leaves, aerial tops, and roots, typically prepared as infusions or decoctions, with occasional external macerations.
A concise preparation for a mild leaf tea is to steep 2 teaspoons (about 2–4 grams) of fresh aerial parts in a cup of just-boiled water for 8–12 minutes, strain, and drink 1–2 cups daily for mild bronchial or digestive astringency. A 1:5 by weight tincture can be made by macerating the herb in 45% ethanol for 4–6 weeks, shaking daily; the final product typically contains 1 gram of herb per 5 milliliters of tincture. Use of the tea or tincture should be limited to short courses, and the strong astringent effect warrants caution for those prone to constipation or taking anticoagulant medicines; it is not recommended during pregnancy or for children without professional guidance.
The astringent action is plausibly linked to its high tannin content, notably condensed tannins such as procyanidins, together with flavonoids (quercetin derivatives), modest alkaloids (pergularin), and essential oils enriched in β-caryophyllene and α‑cadinol (Duke & Beckstrom-Sternberg, 1994; Plants for a Future; American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 2014). Modern relevance includes ongoing demand for distilled or ether extracts of the herb as a natural astringent, and ethanolic tinctures remain available through specialty herb suppliers; field surveys continue to report the plant’s use in regional ethnomedicine, albeit within standardized safety margins.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Polygonum amphibium | L. | Sp. Pl. : 361 (1753) |
| Polygonum salicifolium | Schur | Enum. Pl. Transsilv. 583. 1866 [Apr-Jun 1866] |
| Chulusium amphibium | (L.) Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 3: 14 (1837) |
| Chulusium fluitans | Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 3: 14 (1837) |
| Chulusium natans | Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 3: 14 (1837) |
| Persicaria coccinea | (Muhl. ex Willd.) Greene | Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 24 (1904) |
| Persicaria hartwrightii | (A.Gray) Greene | Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 24 (1904) |
| Polygonum amphibium var. emersum | Michx. | Fl. Bor.-Amer. (Michaux) 1: 240. 1803 [19 Mar 1803] |
| Polygonum amphibium var. stipulaceum | N.Coleman | Cat. Fl. Pl. S. Pen. Michigan : 32 (1874) |
| Persicaria amphibia | (L.) Gray | Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 268. 1821 |
| Polygonum coccineum | Muhl. ex Willd. | Enum. Pl. : 428 (1809) |
| Polygonum amphibium subsp. laevimarginatum | Hultén | Acta Univ. Lund., 2 , 40(1): 612 (1944) |
| Polygonum natans | Eaton | Man. Bot. (A. Eaton), ed. 3. 400 (-401). 1822 |
| Polygonum coccineum var. pratincola | Stanford | Rhodora 27: 165. 1925 |
| Polygonum coccineum var. rigidulum | Stanford | Rhodora 27: 165. 1925 |
| Persicaria muhlenbergii | (S.Watson) Small | Fl. Colorado : 111 (1906) |
| Persicaria amphibia var. emersa | (Michx.) J.C.Hickman | Madroño 31(4): 249. 1984 |
| Polygonum amphibium var. amurense | Korsh. | |
| Polygonum amphibium var. vestitum | Hemsl. | J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 26(176): 333 1891 |
| Persicaria amphibia var. stipulacea | (N.Coleman) H.Hara | J. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Sect. 3, Bot. 6: 36 (1952) |
| Polygonum hartwrightii | A.Gray | Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 294 (1870) |
| Polygonum muhlenbergii | S.Watson | Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 295 (1879) |
| Polygonum emersum | (Michx.) Britton | Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 8: 73. 1889 |
| Polygonum amphibium var. terrestre | Leyss. | Fl. Halens. : 391 (1761) |
| Polygonum amphibium var. muehlenbergii | Meisn. | Prodr. 14: 116 (1856) |
| Persicaria amphibia var. terrestris | (Leyss.) Munshi & Javeid | Syst. Stud. Polygonac. Kashmir Himalaya (J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Addit. Ser. 2) 63 (1986):. |
| Persicaria amurensis | Nieuwl. | Amer. Midl. Naturalist 2: 183 (1912) |
| Polygonum rigidulum | E.Sheld. | Bull. Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv. 9: 14, pl. 1. 1894 [16 Jan 1894] |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | water knotweed |
| English | longroot smartweed |
| English | water smartweed |
| English | amphibious bistort |
| Spanish | persicaria amurensis |
| Spanish | persicaria muhlenbergii |
| Spanish | persicaria amphibia var. terrestris |
| Spanish | polygonum amphibium |
| Spanish | polygonum platyphyllum |
| Spanish | polygonum lanceolatum |
| Spanish | polygonum amurense |
| Spanish | polygonum terrestre |
| Spanish | polygonum cardiophyllum |
| Spanish | polygonum longifolium |
| Spanish | polygonum setiferum |
| Spanish | polygonum tenuinaevum |
| Arabic | عصى الراعي |
| Azerbaijani | su qırxbuğumu |
| Azerbaijani | qırxbuğum amfibia |
| Belarusian | Драсён земнаводны |
| Belarusian | Вадзяная грэчка |
| Bulgarian | земноводно пипериче |
| Catalan | persicaire amphibie |
| Czech | rdesno obojživelné |
| Welsh | canwraidd y dŵr |
| Danish | vand-pileurt |
| German | wasser-knöterich |
| German | wasserknöterich |
| German | polygonum amphibium |
| German | persicaire amphibie |
| Estonian | vesi-kirbutatar |
| Estonian | polygonum amphibium |
| Estonian | vesikirburohi |
| Estonian | vesi-kirburohi |
| Finnish | polygonum amphibium |
| Finnish | vesitatar |
| French | polygonum amphibium |
| French | persicaire amphibie |
| French | renouée amphibie |
| Irish | glúineach uisce |
| Hausa | gayyayakin ruwa |
| Croatian | vodeni dvornik |
| Upper Sorbian | wódna wuroć |
| Icelandic | tjarnablaðka |
| Italian | polygonum amphibium |
| Japanese | エゾノミズタデ |
| Lithuanian | persicaire amphibie |
| Lithuanian | būdmainis rūgtis |
| Latvian | abinieku sūrene |
| Norwegian Bokmål | vass-slirekne |
| Dutch | veenwortel |
| Dutch | polygonum amphibium |
| Polish | rdest ziemnowodny |
| Polish | polygonum amphibium |
| Portuguese | polygonum amphibium |
| Romanian | sălcuță |
| Russian | polygonum amphibium |
| Russian | Горец земноводный |
| Swedish | grodpilört |
| Swedish | persicaire amphibie |
| Swedish | vattenpilört |
| Ukrainian | гірчак земноводний |
| Ukrainian | polygonum amphibium |
| Chinese | 两栖蓼 |
Varieties (abbr. var.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Persicaria amphibia var. natans | (Leyss.) Munshi & Javeid | J. Econ. Taxon. Bot., Addit. Ser. 2: 63 (1986) |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
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Northeast Tropical Africa
- Ethiopia
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Northern Africa
- Algeria
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Southern Africa
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East Tropical Africa
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Arabian Peninsula
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Caucasus
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China
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Eastern Asia
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Middle Asia
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Mongolia
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Russian Far East
- Amur
- Kamchatka
- Khabarovsk
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- Magadan
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Siberia
- Altay
- Buryatiya
- Chita
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Western Asia
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Arabian Peninsula
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Indian Subcontinent
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Indian Subcontinent
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Eastern Europe
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Middle Europe
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Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Finland
- Føroyar
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- Iceland
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Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Italy
- Romania
- Sicilia
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Southwestern Europe
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
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Eastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Eastern Canada
- Labrador
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- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
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- Prince Edward Island
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Mexico
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North-central U.S.A.
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Northeastern U.S.A.
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Northwestern U.S.A.
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South-central U.S.A.
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Southwestern U.S.A.
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Subarctic America
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Western Canada
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Southern America click to expand
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Southern South America
- Argentina Northeast
- Argentina South
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Southern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000488056 |
| Flora of Alabama | 2925 |
| Canadensys | 8140 |
| Tropicos | 100349008 |
| INPN | 112727 |
| Flora of Italy | 377 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30193627-2 |
| The Plant List | kew-2571959 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 146127 |
| Observations.org | 7152 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 254780 |
| NBN Atlas | NHMSYS0000461597 |
| IUCN Red List | 184425 |
| IPNI | 30193627-2 |
| iNaturalist | 78450 |
| GBIF | 6391648 |
| Freebase | /m/0bh82pz |
| WisFlora | 13748 |
| EPPO | POLAM |
| EOL | 592486 |
| Elurikkus | 210028 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 11006 |
| USDA GRIN | 409764 |
| Wikipedia | Persicaria_amphibia |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_965605765.1 | dcPerAmph1.hap1.1 | Chromosome | WELLCOME SANGER INSTITUTE | 2025-07-07 | 74 | 1.70 Gb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives | |||||
| 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid | 3469 | Click to see | 154.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.5586/ASBP.2000.003 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids | |||||
| Caffeic Acid | 689043 | Click to see | 180.16 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.5586/ASBP.2000.003 |
| Ferulic Acid | 445858 | Click to see | 194.18 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.5586/ASBP.2000.003 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavones / Flavonols | |||||
| Kaempferol | 5280863 | Click to see | 286.24 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1002/PTR.1200 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00563488 |
| Quercetin | 5280343 | Click to see | 302.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/PTR.1200 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| Hyperoside | 5281643 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 464.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00563488 |
| Rutin | 5280805 | Click to see | 610.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00563488 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / O-methylated flavonoids / 3-O-methylated flavonoids | |||||
| 3-Methoxyluteolin | 5280681 | Click to see COC1=C(OC2=CC(=CC(=C2C1=O)O)O)C3=CC(=C(C=C3)O)O | 316.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/PTR.1200 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |