Flora of Israel: Polygonum palaestinum

Polygonum palaestinum, Horsetail knotweed,
Hebrew: ארכובית ארץ-ישראלית

Scientific name:   Polygonum palaestinum Zohary
Common name:   Horsetail knotweed
Hebrew name:   ארכובית ארץ-ישראלית
Family:   Polygonaceae, ארכוביתיים

Life form:   Chamaephyte, semi-shrub
Leaves:   Alternatre, entire
Flowers:   Pink, white
Flowering Period:   March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Habitat:   Sand
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands
Chorotype:   Med – Saharo-Arabian
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.

palaestinum, from Palestine.
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 Zohary is used to indicate Michael Zohary (1898 – 1983), a pioneering Israeli botanist.