Persicaria capitata, Pink-headed Persicaria, Ratnyaule Jhar

 

Persicaria capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) H.Gross
Family: Polygonaceae
Synonyms: Cephalophilon capitatum (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Tzvelev, Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don

English: Pink-headed Persicaria
Chinese: 草石椒, 头花蓼
Finnish: Nuppitatar
French: Herbe corail, Couvre-sol, Herbe de l’Himalaya, Renouée, Boule à Boissier
Nepali: रत्नाउले झार Ratnyaule Jhar
Portuguese: Tapete-inglês

Description: Plants annual or perennial, 0.5-5 dm; roots also often arising from proximal nodes. Stems prostrate, glabrous or glandular-pubescent. Leaves: ocrea brown or reddish brown, cylindric to funnelform, 5-12 mm, chartaceous, base inflated or not, margins oblique, eciliate or ciliate with bristles to 1.5 mm, surface lanate, sometimes also glandular-pubescent; petiole 2-5 mm, winged distally; blade ovate to elliptic, 1.5-4(-6) × 0.6-2.5(-3.3) cm, base cuneate or tapering, margins ciliate with reddish, multicellular hairs, apex acute, faces glandular-pubescent abaxially and adaxially, not glandular-punctate. Inflorescences terminal, 5-20 × 7-18 mm; peduncle 10-40 mm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular in distal 5; ocreolae overlapping, margins eciliate. Pedicels spreading, 0.5-1 mm. Flowers 1-5 per ocreate fascicle; perianth greenish white proximally, pinkish distally, urceolate, glabrous, nonaccrescent; tepals 5, elliptic, 2-3 mm, apex acute to obtuse; stamens 8, filaments distinct, free; anthers pink to red, elliptic; styles 3, connate to middle or distally. Achenes included, reddish brown to brownish black, 3-gonous, 1.5-2.2 × 1-1.5 mm, shiny, smooth or minutely punctate.

For  urinary  disorders,  extract  of  roots  and  the  leaves  of Hedyotis scandens consumed orally. Paste from crushed nuts applied on the forehead as a remedy for brief memory loss and senselessness. Seeds analgesic [CRC World Dictionary of MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS PLANTS Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology]

3 Published articles of Persicaria capitata
1. Ornamental Characteristics and Vegetative Propagation of Persicaria capitata
Pego, R. G.; Oliveira, L. G.; Garde, G. P.; et al.
Edited Facciuto, G; Sanchez, MI
Conference: 7th International Symposium on New Floricultural Crops Location: Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA Date: NOV 22-25, 2011
   
2. Contribucion al conocimiento de Persicaria nepalensis (Meisn.) H. Gross y P. capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) H.gross, especies invasoras en el Parque Nacionalelavila, Venezuela
Contribution to the knowledge of Persicaria nepalensis (Meisn.) H.Gross and P-capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) H.Gross, invasive species in the Avila National Park, Venezuela
Meier, Winfried
Acta Botanica Venezuelica  Volume: 29   Issue: 1   Pages: 1-15   Published: 2006

3. Persicaria capitata (Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don) H. Gross (Polygonaceae), a newly naturalized plant in Taiwan
Hsu, Tsai-Wen; Ku, Shin-Ming; Peng, Ching-I
Taiwania  Volume: 49   Issue: 3   Pages: 183-187   Published: September 2004