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Polygonum bistorta

Perennial

HomePerennialPolygonum bistorta

Damp meadows and by water, especially on acid soils.

Family: Polygonaceae
Height: 0.5 m / 2 ft
Sun, Semi-shade
Light, Medium and Heavy Soil
Moist or wet

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 3 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 3 of 5
Other Uses: 2 of 5

Native Habitat

Bistort, Meadow bistort, Snakeweed Polygonum bistorta native habitat is Damp meadows and by water, especially on acid soils.

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked. One report says that they are rather bitter, but we have found them to have a fairly mild flavour, especially when the leaves are young, though the texture is somewhat chewy when they are eaten raw. They make an excellent substitute for spinach. In Northern England the leaves are an ingredient of a bitter Lenten pudding, called Easter ledger pudding, that is eaten at Lent. The leaves are available from late winter in most years and can be eaten until the early autumn though they become much tougher as the season progresses. The leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C, a nutritional analysis is available. Seed - raw or cooked. The seed is very small and rather fiddly to utilize. Root - raw or cooked. Rich in starch and tannin, it is steeped in water and then roasted in order to reduce the tannin content. It is then said to be a tasty and nutritious food. The root has also been boiled or used in soups and stews and can be dried then ground into a powder and used in making bread. The root contains 30% starch, 1% calcium oxalate and 15 - 36% tannin.

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