Koenigia delicatula

  • admin_jmgarg
  • Koenigia
Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) Hara, Fl. E. Himal. 70. 1966 (Syn: Polygonum delicatulum Meisn. in DC.) as per Flora of Pakistan;  
.
Polygonum delicatulum Meisn., Prodr. 14(1): 127 127 1857. (Syn: Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) H. Hara) as per The Plant List Ver.1.1 ;
.
Himalaya to China (Sichuan, Yunnan) and Myanmar: Assam, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet, West Himalaya as per POWO;
.
Common name: Delicate Himalayan Knotweed
.

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Unid%20Herb%20VOF%20-6-.JPG/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Unid%20Herb%20VOF%20-1-.JPG/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Unid%20Herb%20VOF%20-2-.JPG/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Koenigia%20delicatula1%20-1-.JPG/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Koenigia%20delicatula%20-2-.JPG/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Koenigia%20delicatula1%20-2-.JPG

VOF Week: Tiny herb for identification:
This very small herb was shot from one or two localities in the
area…(cannot exactly recollect)…identification please….

Some species of Polygonum I hope.

This is Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) H. Hara (= Polygonum delicatulum Meisn.) belonging to the family Polygonaceae.

The plant generally grows in close association with Koenigia nepalensis D. Don (=Polygonum filicaule wall. ex Mesn.) and often mixed together during the process of mounting on the herbarium sheets and misidentified. Illustration of K. delicatula provided in Fl. Pakistan actually belongs to K. nepalensis and appears to be a result of such kind of mixing. (http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=2870&flora_id=5).
Description provided in the same is self explanatory which states that…”It is readily distinguished from all other species of Koenigia of our region by its axillary fasciculate flowers while other species have flowers in terminal corymbs“. (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242100083). Can you see the axillary fasciculate flowers in the illustration of K. delicatula here? Moreover, K. delicatula also differs from K. nepalensis in having glabrous and cordate leaves.
I’ve detailed photographs of both the species which I will post to eFI soon.
P.S.: The genus Koenigia was studied in detail by Hedberg and treated as a separate genus (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/1999.x/abstract). However, ‘The Plant List’ treats Koenigia under the synonymy of Polygonum. I too support Hedberg’s view and believe it to be treated as Koenigia only (Molecular data in press).

One more reference by same author:
KOENIGIA-DELICATULA-SSP-RELICTA NEW-SUBSPECIES POLYGONACEAE A NEW TAXON LINKING THE GENERA KOENIGIA L. AND PERSICARIA MILL
Author: HEDBERG O – Journal of Japanese Botany Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Pages: 71-77 Published: 1988

Yes it is Polygonum denticulata

 /wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Koenigia%20delicatula1%20-3-.JPG
This very delicate herb was found near Valley of Flowers National Park..
Was identified as Koenigia delicatula
Please validate/correct

Yes! This is Koenigia delicatula for sure. Thanks for showing this tiny beauty.

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_2710_03Sep2016.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_2712_03Sep2016.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_2682_03Sep2016.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_2685_03Sep2016.jpg

Plant for ID ABSEP2016/27 : 8 posts by 4 authors. 4 images.
I photographed this plant next to the withering blue poppy on my way to Ilaqa from Triund. Please help identify it.
Above Triund, HP 3100m 03-04 September 2016

Cannot make out… may be it belongs to Polygonaceae..!! 

Thanks … It was my first thought too but I am unable to find anything that matches. Hopefully someone would advise soon. I am attaching another photo of an erect sample from higher above.

Yes, Polygonaceae! This is Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) H. Hara (Syn.: Polygonum delicatulum Meisn.)

Yes, I had seen this, in fact this plant was in my database, I just relied on my memory, but failed to get name!

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_4370_16-17Aug2017.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_4369_16-17Aug2017.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_4375_16-17Aug2017.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_4950_16-17Aug2017.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/_MG_4947_16-17Aug2017.jpg
Koenigia delicatula ABAUG2017/28 : 5 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (5)
I am starting it as a new thread with proper nomenclature. For my old post please see here. … had helped identify it before and I made better acquaintance with the plant on my recent trip to Ilaqa. As advised by Dr Choudhary, the plant does grow in a close association with K. nepalensis which I saw in good numbers on the slopes. Here are some photos.
Koenigia delicatula

Ilaqa, Dharamshala, HP
3300m approx.
16-17 August 2017

Lovely pics of a really delicate plant…thanks …!!

.

References:
POWO  Catalogue of Life  Flora of Pakistan (Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) Hara) Annotated checklist of Flowering plants of Nepal (Koenigia delicatula (Meisn.) H. Hara)  The Plant List Ver.1.1 (Polygonum delicatulum Meisn.) Tropicos  Flora of China (Polygonum delicatulum Meisner in Candolle) India Biodiversity Portal  Flowers of India

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *