Family |
Polygonaceae
Polygonum cedrorum
Boiss. & Kotschy
Leb. Syr. Tur.
Polygonum cedrorum Boiss. & Kotschy
(Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 2, 4: 77; 1859 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXVII nº 3; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial herb or subshrub, 15–40 cm tall, forming dense tufts from a woody, branched base. Stems erect to ascending, slender, angular, and glabrous or sparsely pubescent, often reddish at the nodes.
• Leaves: Alternate, linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 10–30 × 2–5 mm, entire, thick-textured, glabrous or minutely papillose, margins slightly revolute. Ochreae (stipular sheaths) short, membranous, pale brown, soon lacerate.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Terminal or axillary clusters forming narrow, interrupted spikes 2–6 cm long. Flowers small, pinkish or greenish-white, 3–4 mm across. Perianth of 5 segments, united at the base; segments elliptic, obtuse, slightly unequal. Stamens 6–8; styles 3, free, short; stigmas capitate.
• Fruit: Achene trigonous, ovoid, 2–2.5 mm long, smooth and shining, enclosed within the persistent perianth.
• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from July to September.
• Habitat & elevation: High-mountain rocky slopes, screes, and subalpine grasslands on limestone, 1 800–2 800 m. Prefers sunny, exposed habitats among rocks and alpine steppe vegetation.
• Lebanese distribution: Endemic to the high summits of Mount Lebanon — particularly the upper slopes of Sannine, Makmel, and Qornet es-Saouda; often growing near Cedrus libani forests and alpine limestone screes.
• Native to: Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: A Levantine montane species confined to Lebanon, western Syria, and adjacent southern Türkiye. It is closely related to Polygonum aviculare but differs by its perennial, woody-based habit, narrow, thick leaves, and dense alpine cushions. Boissier named the species after the Cedars of Lebanon, where the type was collected by Kotschy in the mid-19th century. It represents one of the most characteristic alpine elements of the Lebanese flora, adapted to cold, windswept limestone summits.