BISTORTA - Bistort

Family: Polygonaceae ^[SEHM]

[1] Bistorta bistortoides

[2] Bistorta bistortoides

[3] Bistorta vivipara

Photosensitivity, Oxalic acid Root, Leaves, Seed Topical Use

1 sp. (Latin: twice twisted, from contorted rhizomes)
Unabridged etymology: (Latin: bi-, twice, tortus, twisted, alluding to contorted rhizomes)^[Jepson]

Comment: "There is a close relationship between Persicaria, Bistorta and Polygonum." ^{[Personal Observation]}

Local Species;

1. Bistorta bistortoides - American bistort ^{[E-flora][TSFTK]}
2. Bistorta vivipara- Alpine bistort ^{[E-flora][PCBC][TSFTK]}

Bistorta bistortoides - American bistort

• Synonyms:
  • Polygonum bistortoides Pursh ^{[E-flora][EMNNMPV.9]}
• Description
  • "Polygonum bistortoides is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is hardy to zone (UK) 5. It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]1
  • General: Perennial herb from a short, thick rhizome; stems erect, solitary to several, simple, 20-70 cm tall. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
  • Leaves: Basal leaves lanceolate-oblong or oblanceolate, smooth on both sides or slightly hairy below, the blades 5-20 cm long, the stalks long; stem leaves alternate, few, reduced upward, all but the lowest unstalked; stipules brownish, oblique, not ragged, 3-6 cm long. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
  • Flowers: Inflorescence a solitary, terminal, spike-like, many-flowered raceme, 1-5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide; perianths 4-5 mm long, white to pinkish, 5-lobed nearly to the base. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
  • Fruits: Achenes, 3-angled, yellowish-brown, smooth, shiny, 3.5-4 mm long.^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
  • Habitat/Range: Moist to mesic meadows in the subalpine and alpine zones; infrequent in S BC; E to SW AB and S to MT, NM and CA. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
  • Status: Native ^{[IFBC-E-flora]1}
• Hazards: [Same as for Persicaria maculosa] ^[PFAF]1
• Edible Use: "Rhizomes are eaten after roasting or sliced for stir-fries or added to soups and stews". ^[EMNNMPV.9] "Leaves - raw or cooked. A pleasant acid flavour, they are used as a potherb[183]. Root - raw or cooked[106]. Starchy and rather pleasant[85], the root can be baked or added to soups, stews etc[105, 161, 183, 257]. It was often dried before being used[207]. The raw root is slightly astringent, it becomes sweeter when boiled but is best when baked[212]. Seed - raw or cooked. It is rather small and fiddly to utilize." ^[PFAF]1 "...P. bistortoides and P. viviparum, have starchy roots that are edible raw or boiled, but are best when roasted." ^{[Kirk WEP]} "Roots used in soups and stews by Blackfoot" ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}
• Medicinal Use: "The root is astringent. A poultice has been used in treating sores and boils[257]." ^[PFAF]1 "Dermatological Aid" ^{[Heaton,2004]}
• Cultivation: "Succeeds in an ordinary garden soil[1] but prefers a moisture retentive not too fertile soil in sun or part shade[200]. Repays generous treatment[1]. Plants are growing well at Kew in a moist position by water in the rock garden[K]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233]. This species is closely related to P. viviparum[1] and P. bistorta[200]." ^[PFAF]1
  • "In the alpine forb species Bistorta bistortoides, stored N reserves in the rhizomes accounted for 60% of the N allocation to the shoot during the growing season (Jaeger and Monson 1992). In this species N storage was largely accommodated by increased concentrations of amino acids (Lipson et al. 1996)." ^{[Pugnaire FPE]} "An analogous storage function of non-protein is also postulated for azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, for mimosine or for 6-acetylornithine in the rhizomes of Bistorta bistortoides. The last compound accounts for more than 12% of the total nitrogen of the rhizomes of B. bistortoides (Lipson et al., 1996)." ^{[Wink BBPSM]}
• Propagation: "Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually free and easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer." ^[PFAF]1

Bistorta vivipara - Alpine Bistort

• Synonyms
  • Persicaria vivipara (L.) Ronse Decr. ^[E-flora]
  • Polygonum fugax Small ^[E-flora]
  • Polygonum macounii Small ex Macoun ^[E-flora]
  • Polygonum viviparum L. ^[E-flora]
  • Polygonum viviparum var. alpinum Wahlenb. ^[E-flora]
  • Polygonum viviparum var. macounii (Small ex Macoun) Hultén ^[E-flora]
• Description:
  • General: Perennial herb from a short, thick, often contorted rhizome; stems erect, solitary, simple, 10-30 cm tall. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
  • Leaves: Basal leaves alternate, lanceolate to oblong or egg-shaped, the blades 3-10 cm long, the stalks longer than the blades; stem leaves 2-4, nearly linear, reduced and becoming unstalked upwards; stipules brown, strongly sheathing, 1-5 cm long, entire. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
  • Flowers: Inflorescence a single, terminal, spikelike raceme, 2-10 cm long, mostly 1-1.5 mm wide, the lower flowers replaced by small pinkish to purple bulblets; perianths 3-3.5 mm long, white or pink, 5-lobed 2/3 or more the distance to the base. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
  • Fruits: Achenes, 3-angled, dark brown, smooth to somewhat granular, 2-3 mm long, usually not developing. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
  • Habitat/Range: Moist forest openings, meadows, streambanks and rocky slopes and ridges in the upper montane to alpine zones; frequent in and east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains in BC, rare along the coast; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to NH, MN, MI, UT, NM and OR; Eurasia, Iceland. ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
  • Status: Native ^{[IFBC-E-flora]2}
• Food Use: "Rhizomes eaten by northern peoples; see Food Use of Related Species under alpine knotweed" (Alpine Knotweed (P. phytolaccaefolium) - Greens of young plants eaten by northern peoples) ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}

References

• Heaton,2004 - An Ethnobotanical and Medical Research Literature Update on the Plant Species Collected in the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806, Darrall Heaton and Ara DerMarderosian, Bartonia, No. 62, Lewis and Clark Bicentennial: 1803-1806 — 2003-2006 (2004), pp. 63-93, Philadelphia Botanical Club, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41610108
• [E-flora]
  • [1] Bistorta bistortoides, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Bistorta%20bistortoides, Accessed March 13, 2017
  • [2] Bistorta vivipara, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Bistorta%20vivipara&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed March 13, 2017
• [Jepson]2013. Bistorta, Mihai Costea, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=15721, accessed on Jan 4 2015
• PFAF
  • [1]Polygonum bistortoides, http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Polygonum+bistortoides, Accessed March 12, 2017

Image References

• [1] Yellowstone National Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• [2] David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
• [3] Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons