Phil Bendle Collection:Polygonum chinense (Chinese knotweed)

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Polygonum
Species: P. chinense
Binomial name: Polygonum chinense
Synonyms: Persicaria chinensis, Ampelygonum chinense
Common names: Creeping smartweed, Chinese knotweed, China knotweed 

Polygonum chinense is a species of plant in the family Polygonaceae. It was previously called Persicaria chinensis. It is widespread across China, Japan, the Indian Subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In New Zealand, it is a weed.

Polygonum chinense is a perennial climber that grows to 2–3 m high. Its stems are glabrous and red-brown, with longitudinal stripes. Its leaves have oval blades, are 4–8 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, with a pointed apex and round or nearly cordate base. Its cymes emerge at terminals and are 5–7 cm long, with small white or pink flowers.

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Young leaves
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

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