| Polygonum bidwelliae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Polygonum |
| Species: | P. bidwelliae |
| Binomial name | |
| Polygonum bidwelliae S.Watson |
|
Polygonum bidwelliae is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name Bidwell's knotweed. The plant was named for American suffragist Annie Bidwell, based at the Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California, [1] who collected the type specimen in Northern California.[2]
Contents |
It is endemic to California, where it is known from the northern Sacramento Valley and adjacent slopes of the southernmost Cascade Range. It grows in chaparral, woodland, and grassland habitat on volcanic soils.
Polygonum bidwelliae is an annual herb producing an erect green, wiry, angled stem reaching 20 centimeters in maximum height. The narrow, pointed leaves are oppositely arranged along the stem, mainly on the upper parts of stem branches. The leaves have relatively large stipules which form ochrea that sheath the stem, sometimes hiding the leaf bases. The sharp-pointed stipules are membranous and silvery white in color. Bright pink flowers occur in upper leaf axils.