Polygonum sachalinense
| Polygonum sachalinense | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 12' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Polygonum sachalinense (common name: giant knotweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually free and easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil in sun or shade[1][2].
Hardy to about -25°c[3].
An extremely invasive plant, capable of sending up new shoots at a considerable distance from the main clump[1]. Considered a pest in many areas, if grown in the garden it should be planted within a barrier to contain its roots.
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[4].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: E. Asia - Japan. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[5].
Habitat: Along ravines and by streams in montane areas of Sakhalin Island[6].
Edibility: Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked[7][8][9][10]. They can be added to salads or cooked as an asparagus substitute[10]. They have an acid flavour and we find that they are more like a rhubarb substitute.
Older stems and shoot tips - cooked. The stems are best peeled. Tasting like a mild version of rhubarb, they have a superior quality with a hint of lemon in the flavour[10].
Seed - cooked[11]. The seed can be ground into a powder and used as a thickener and flavouring in soups etc, or as an extender in flour. It is rather small and fiddly to utilize.
Usage: A potential source of biomass.
Plants are very vigorous and could be grown as a ground cover[12].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been made for this species, there have been reports that some members of this genus can cause photosensitivity in susceptible people._x005F
Many species also contain oxalic acid (the distinctive lemony flavour of sorrel) - whil
Also Known As: Reynoutria sachalinensis. (Freidrich.Schmidt.&Petrop.)Nakai.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.