32b. Persicaria Miller sect. Echinocaulon (Meisner) H. Gross, Bull. Acad. Int. Géogr. Bot. 4: 27. 1913.
Polygonum Linnaeus sect. Echinocaulon Meisner in N. Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 58. 1832
Stems usually scandent or, rarely, ascending or erect, simple or branched, with recurved prickles. Leaves: ocrea chartaceous or foliaceous, margins eciliate or ciliate; petiole, if present, rarely winged, not auriculate; blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, broadly lanceolate or elliptic to triangular, base truncate to sagittate to cordate, margins entire or hastately lobed. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, spikelike, paniclelike, or capitate, uninterrupted or, rarely, interrupted proximally. Flowers homostylous, articulation swollen or not; perianth campanulate; tepals 4-5, connate 4- 2 their length; stamens 5-8; styles deciduous, 2-3, included or, rarely, exserted, erect or spreading.
Species 21 (5 in the flora): e North America, South America, Asia, se Africa, e Australia.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Park, C. W. 1986. Nomenclatural typifications in Polygonum section Echinocaulon (Polygonaceae). Brittonia 38: 394-406. Park, C. W. 1987. Flavonoid chemistry of Polygonum sect. Echinocaulon: A systematic survey. Syst. Bot. 12: 167-179. Park, C. W. 1988. Taxonomy of Polygonum section Echinocaulon (Polygonaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 47: 1-82.