Scientific name: Polygonum arenastrum Boreau
Common name: Equal-leaved Knotgrass
Description
Habit: Annual, with a strong tap-root.
Stems: Prostrate, slender, branched and leafy, to 30 cm long.
Leaves: Alternate, undivided, untoothed, oval-lanceolate, narrowed at the base; all leaves equal size, 7-15 x 3-8 mm; stipules silvery, united to form a sheath surrounding stem or leaf stalk, not very conspicuous.
Flowers: Actinomorphic, almost stalkless, in a small, axillary clusters; tepals 5, shortly fused at the base, with 5 narrow lobes, green with pink or white edges, lobes 1.5-2 times as long as the tube; stamens 8; ovary superior, 1-celled, style 1, divided into 3.
Fruits: A small nut, 3-angled, less than 3 mm, not shiny; enclosed in the tepals.
Habitat: Roadsides, tracks, paths, quays, stony ground.Distribution: Occasional to frequent.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No