Polygonum bistortoides Calflora

Taxon Report

Polygonum bistortoides Pursh

(not an active name)

American bistort, Snakeweed, Western bistort, Western knotweed

Polygonum bistortoides is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.

also called Bistorta bistortoides


	Plant Range Observation Search ~905 records in California Plant Characteristics

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Polygonum
Family:	Polygonaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Habitat: streambanks, meadows

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Alternate Names:


PLANTS	Bistorta bistortoides
PLANTS	Persicaria bistortoides
PLANTS	Polygonum bistortoides var. linearifolium
PLANTS	Polygonum bistortoides var. oblongifolium
PLANTS	Polygonum cephalophorum
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Information about Polygonum bistortoides from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX Commercial availability unknown. USDA PLANTS Profile (POBI6) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	ITIS Original Publication citation International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 04/02/2025).