Flora of Israel: Horsetail Knotweed

Polygonum equisetiforme, Horsetail Knotweed,
Hebrew: ארכובית שבטבטית, Arabic: قضاب, Egypt: قرضاب “Qordab”


Scientific name:		Polygonum equisetiforme Sm.
Common name:		Horsetail Knotweed
Hebrew name:		ארכובית שבטבטית
Arabic name:		قضاب
Egypt:		قرضاب “Qordab”
Family:		Polygonaceae, ארכוביתיים


Life form:		Hemicryptophyte
Stems:		30-100 cm; procumbent or ascending, numerous, branched
Leaves:		Alternate, oblong to linear, acute, wrinkled margins entire
Inflorescence:		Axillary clusters of 2-3, forming long, usually lax, terminal spikes; herbaceous bracts
Flowers:		Pink, white, 2 – 4 mm in diameter; perianth with 5 partly fused tepals; 8 stamens, white filament, yellow anther; 2-3 styles
Fruits / pods:		Achenes, blackish, glossy, 2-5 mm
Flowering Period:		The whole year
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Perennating

Derivation of the botanical name:

Polygonum, polys, πολυϛ, πολλη, πολυ, much, many, frequent; large; heavy; gonu, a knee-joint; from the many joints in the stem.

equisetiforme, equus, a horse; seta, a bristle; Horsetail form.
The Hebrew name: ארכובית, arcuvit, formed from ארכבה, arcuva (Post Biblical Hebrew: knee, knee joint) with suffix -it. Biblical Hebrew: ברך, bereh, knee.

The standard author abbreviation Sm. is used to indicate James Edward Smith (1759 – 1828,an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.

See the list of Medicinal herbs in Israel, the parts used and their medical uses to treat various diseases.

_{Location: Bene Zion Nature Reserve}