Flora-Fauna

Polygonum equisetiforme Sm.

First published in J.Sibthorp & J.E.Smith, Fl. Graec. Prodr. 1: 266 (1809).

(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 402, Pl. CXXXII, 6; 1966)

• Life-form & habit: Perennial with a very thick, dark, woody rhizome producing many smooth, grooved, hairless stems, trailing or ascending and sometimes exceeding 1 m.

• Leaves: Highly variable: some reach 4 × 2 cm, while others are linear and scarcely exceed 1 cm. The sheathing stipules are brown below, silvery and translucent above, with torn tips and 5–6 veins.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Usually long, slender, loose spikes of small two- or three-flowered clusters. Floral leaves are very small or reduced to their sheaths. The five blunt, oblong perianth segments are green with broad white or pink margins; flowers have 6–8 stamens and three very short styles.

• Fruit: Smooth, shiny, three-angled achene, about 2 mm long, brown-black or purple-black.

• Phenology: Flowering throughout the year.

• Habitat & elevation: Fields, disturbed ground and sand.

• Lebanese distribution: Coastal sand south of Beirut, Saida, Beirut, Fouar, Nahr el Kalb, Tripoli, Abey, Bdedoune below Aley, Kahale, east of Saida, Aley–Abadiye, Qraye, Hadeth cedars, Dimane, Roueissat, Zahle, Mount Hermon and Kornet Chehwan.

• Syrian distribution: Qatma, Jabal Semaan, Tourmanine, Homs, Liftaya, Chinchar–Qossair, Qalaat el Hosn, Barada valley, southeast of Damascus, Adra, Hijjane, Chahba and Bardi oasis.

• Native range: Algeria, Azores, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Uzbekistan, Western Sahara.

• Introduced into: Great Britain.