Persicaria capitata

Botanical Description

Persicaria capitata is an evergreen perennial plant forming a clump of creeping, much-branched stems that become more or less woody at the base. The stems often form roots at leaf nodes, producing a dense mat of growth about 15cm high[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine - it has proved very effective in treating urinary tract infections and is widely used in China. It is also often cultivated as an ornamental, where cultivars such as 'Magic Carpet' can be used to form a ground cover. Cultivated as an ornamental, the plant sometimes escapes from cultivation and has become naturalized in many parts of the world from warm temperate regions to the tropics. It is considered invasive in Hawaii[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. ].