Leaf
Vinayaraj, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mountain fleece
Persicaria amplexicaulis (D.Don) Ronse Decr.
Also known as: Red bistort
Family: Polygonaceae
80 cm to 1.2 m tall
Water margins, moist borders, damp garden meadows
Flowering: July – October
Full sun
Part shade
-25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its leaves completely clasp the stem at the base, a trait that gives it its species name "amplexicaulis".
🍃 Leaves
Large, heart-shaped oval leaves clasping the stem at the base
🌸 Flowers
Very numerous small, narrow spikes in deep red, pink or white depending on the cultivar
🍎 Fruits
Small, glossy brown achenes
🪵 Bark
Upright, branched herbaceous stems forming a compact clump
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the Himalayas; widely naturalised and grown in Europe in damp gardens.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Spikes rich in nectar, visited continuously by bees, bumblebees and butterflies until the frosts.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Perennial borders, pond margins, damp flower meadows; long, generous flowering from summer to autumn.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable toxicity known.
🌿 Other Polygonaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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