Suomi
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Amphibious Bistort
Persicaria amphibia
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Amphibious Bistort is a perennial that can live both on land and in water. It is most often noticed in shallow water where its oval leaves float and pink flower heads rise above the surface. On land it looks different, forming upright shoots on damp ground and often not flowering.
Did you know?
- Its water and land forms look so different that they can be mistaken for different species; the land form rarely flowers.
- It spreads with long creeping roots, often forming broad patches along shores.
About the species
Identification
Variable plant of water and shores. On land it stands 20–80 cm with branching stems; in water it has long trailing stems (can exceed 2 m) and floating leaves. Leaves occur one by one along the stem: on land they are short‑stalked, oval and slightly hairy; in water they are long‑stalked, smooth and floating, often rounded or heart‑shaped at the base (10–15 cm). Each leaf base has a papery collar around the stem, usually hairy. Flowers form a short, thick, dense pink club (2–5 cm). Land plants seldom flower; water plants flower freely. Seeds are small, flatish, shiny black. Flowers in Finland in July–August.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
water
Flowering
Jul–Aug
About the habitat
Grows in lakes, rivers, ponds and sheltered low‑salinity bays. Also on wet and muddy ground such as shores, fields, meadows, roadsides and waste ground. Common in southern and central Finland; rare in Åland, Ostrobothnia and northern Finland.
Sources
Photo: deefinder200, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6178739289
Text: Pinkka: Pieni maatalouslajintuntemus - Puuvartiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38229
Text: Pinkka: IPS-153 Flora of Subarctic Europe - Nardus-Pyrola, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38229
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesitatar
