Polygonum amphibium - Polygonum amphibium. Buckwheat family - Polygonaceae.
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The plant amphibious Highlander has two forms, aquatic and terrestrial, - and many transitional formations between them. Hence, apparently, the name of the species. The aquatic form of the horehound plant lives in shallow lakes with slow-flowing or standing water, where it can form dense; pure thickets, or it grows in a mixture with such aquatic plants as water lily, lily-of-the-valley, and others. The terrestrial form of the mountain plant is confined to damp meadows and river floodplains. The geographical distribution of this species is very wide: the amphibian plant can be found in the European and Asian parts of the tundra and taiga zones, in the forest-steppe, in the Caucasus, the Far East, and Central Asia.
The plant amphibian mountaineer is a perennial herbaceous plant (Fig. 5) with a simple stem and a creeping branching rhizome. Almost limitless are the possibilities of the mountain bush to adapt to changes in water regime. There's a reason the mountain man is called an amphibian. It has synonyms such as water buckwheat, utevnik, pike weed. In the summer, the highlanders growing near the lakeshore are often on dry land. And they easily put up with the new conditions: the leaves of the horehound become rough and covered with stiff hairs, and sticky liquid protrudes on the stem. All together, this keeps the amphibian mountain plant from drying out.
"Buckwheat settles on the mirrors (of water) with untold grace. Somehow its leaves are loosely plastinating on the surface... A leaf is like a flat boat: it has a wide stern and a narrowed bow. The median vein is like an axial keel. On either side of it are about a hundred vein paddles... August is unforgettable with buckwheat. If the leaves of the buckwheat plant are like green boats, the buckwheat flowers are like pink buckeyes. Oh, how the candleflowers are rising in unison.. Buckwheat blossoms are like a bold metaphor: pink fire on the water!. But the rose spike is wisely arranged! It is easy to see that the flowers in it are spiraling: the flames seem to wind over the inflorescences. The flower individually is five perianths, five stamens - and a bifurcated stigma... Such an ear can be seen from afar. Bumblebees willingly come to the buckwheat islands... It is strange to see golden bumblebees at the time of buckwheat blossom among blue dragonfly arrows!" - This poetic and very botanical description of the amphibian amphibian mountaineer is by Yu. Linnick's.
The amphibian mountain plant has long been used in folk medicine; the whole mountain plant with leaves, flowers and rhizomes is collected. Flavonoids were found in the herb of amphibian mountain herb (up to 7.5 %), anthocyanin, phenolcarboxylic acids, vitamins C and K, carotene. In the roots of amphibian mountain and rhizomes of its many tannins (up to 20%), there is also vitamin C.
Decoction and infusion of the underground parts of the plant amphibious mountain amphibian used for diseases of the stomach, urogenital, nervous and endocrine systems. The herb of amphibian humpback in the form of dry powder is used as a hemostatic agent, infusion of amphibian humpback is used in gastric diseases and as a diuretic. Infusion of the leaves of the highlander has a diuretic property, it helps with urolithiasis. In Transbaikalia with the help of herbs of the mountain plant treat diabetes, in the Altai - hemorrhoids, and in Austria - nasal polyps and cancerous tumors.
Due to its abundance of tannins, the rhizome of the amphibious mountaineer serves as a good tanning agent for leather. The roots and leaves of the amphibious mountaineer are used to produce a dye that colors silk blue. Sometimes the rhizomes of the highlander are used for food by boiling or pulverizing them. The fruits of the amphibian humpback are food for birds, and the flowers provide a good bounty for bees..
