Dense flowered smartweed

Description

Polygonum chinense, commonly known as creeping smartweed or Chinese knotweed, is a plant species from the family Polygonaceae. It is widespread across China, Japan, the Indian Subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It is a common plant in Malaysia and Vietnam, where it is used in herbal remedies, such as for the treatment of dysentery, enteritis, and sore throat. It is a weed in some coastal areas of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.P. chinense is a perennial climber that grows to 2-3 m high. Its stems are glabrous and red-brown, with longitudinal stripes. Its leaves have oval blades, are 4-8 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, with pointed apex and round or nearly cordate base. Its cymes emerge at terminals, and are 5-7 cm long, with small white or pink flowers