User:Cariforbes16/Polygonum majus
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Polygonum majus, commonly known as wiry knotweed, is a North American species of flowering plant within the buckweed family, growing in western United States and Canada [1]. With a blooming season between the months of June and September, this herbaceous plant is an annual herb[1]. P. majus reaches heights up to 60 centimeters tall, appearing as a thin and wiry stemmed plant with white and pink flowers that measure about 0.15 inches [1][2][3].
Taxonomy
[edit]Polygonum majus (Meisn.) Piper is within the Plantae kingdom and the Caryophyllates order [4]. P. majus falls under the Polygonaceae family, more commonly known as the knotweed family, and also falls within the Polygonum species[4]. The basionym for P. majus is Polygonum coarctatum var. majus Meisn. Other synonymous names include Polygonum douglasii subsp. majus (Meisn.) J.C. Hickman.
Description
[edit]Polygonum majus is an annual herb that reaches heights anywhere from 15 to 60 centimeters tall. The stems appear to be erect and green, with varieties between that of simple or branched wiry stems, depending on their environmental conditions[5]. The alternating leaves on the P. majus are uniformly distributed, measuring between 5 and 10 centimeters, with a petiole measuring between 0.1 and 0.2 millimeters in length [5][6]. This annual herb is also characterized as a dicot, appearing with 5 open or semi-open petals that are approximately 0.15 inches long, that appear to be uniformly white to pink in color [3][5][6]. The herbaceous dicot also has 8 stamens, with achenes that appearing in enclosed black and elliptic perianth that measure between 3.5 and 5.0 millimeters and appear as shiny or dull, and smooth or striate [5].
Habitat
[edit]Polygonum majus can be found growing in the western states in the United States of California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as the southwestern Canadian providence of the British of Columbia, in areas of elevation between 500 and 2000 meters [5]. This herbaceous plant can be found in dry plains. meadows, shrublands, serpentine and rocky slopes [4][7]. The plant also can be found at the openings of forest in the steppe, in addition to the openings of mountain zones [7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Wildflower Quick Search Key", Wildflowers of the Mountain West, Utah State University Press, pp. 288–293, retrieved 2021-11-06
- ^ "Plant Characteristics and Associations - Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ a b "Wiry Knotweed, Polygonum majus". calscape.org. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ a b c "Tropicos". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Polygonum majus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ a b "Wildflower Search". wildflowersearch.org. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ a b "E-Flora BC Atlas Page". linnet.geog.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-18.