Polygonaceae
Sign in to saveThe Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—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 may refer to the many swollen nodes the stems of some species have, being derived from Greek ( meaning and meaning or ). Alternatively, it may have a different origin, meaning 'many seeds'.
AI overview
The Polygonaceae family, informally known as the knotweed or smartweed family, is a group of flowering plants whose name likely refers to either the swollen nodes found on some species' stems or to their production of many seeds. This family has been formally recognized since 1789, when botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu first named it based on the genus Polygonum.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCaryophyllales
- FamilyPolygonaceae
via GBIF · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Caryophyllales
- Image
- Polygonum persicaria bgiu.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- P105
- family
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Description
- Genera
- Former genera
- Phylogeny
- References
- External links
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—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 may refer to the many swollen nodes the stems of some species have, being derived from Greek ( meaning and meaning or ). Alternatively, it may have a different origin, meaning 'many seeds'.
The Polygonaceae comprise about 1200 species distributed into about 48 genera. The largest genera are Eriogonum (240 species), Rumex (200 species), Coccoloba (120 species), Persicaria (100 species) and Calligonum (80 species). The family is present worldwide, but is most diverse in the North Temperate Zone.