''Polygonum cognatum'', commonly called Indian knotgrass or madimak (from Turkish ''madımak''Prof. Dr. Turhan Baytop (1997), Türkçe Bitki Adları Sözlüğü, TDK yayınları: 578, Ankara, 1997), is an edible weedy creeping perennial herb in the genus ''

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

'', frequently eaten by people of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It has larger leaves than most other species of ''Polygonum''.

Description

''Polygonum cognatum'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

, prostrate or ascending branched herb, 15–30 cm long with a thick stout root stock. Stems are prostrate, green like the leaves. Leaves oblong-elliptic, petiolate, often slightly mucronate. Flowers in bundles in the leaf axils. Perianth pinkish, 4–5 mm, hardening and accrescent in fruit. Nut glossy, included in the perianth.

Habitat

Irano-Turanian

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

or Iran-Turan Plant Geography Region element, grows between 760–5600 meters elevation on rocky and drier slopes; distribution: Central to

Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

, Caucasia (

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The madimak is a weed found in both agricultural and non-agricultural areas.

Subspecies

*''Polygonum cognatum'' subsp. ''chitralicum'' (syn: ''P. chitralicum''):

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Chitral Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...

. *''Polygonum cognatum'' subsp. ''cognatum'' (syn: ''P. cognatum'' var. ''alpestre'', ''P. confertum'', ''P. ammanioides'', ''P. pamiroalaicum'')

Cuisine

The madimak is one of the widely known traditional edible plants in

particularly Central Anatolia Region. To be able to compensate increasing demand easily and supply the plant to the markets, farmers started cultivating madimak in Central Anatolia.

Pharmacology

The highest antioxidant activity was found in the water extract.Ali Yıldırım, Ahmet Mavi, Ayşe Aydan Kara (2002)
Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ''Polygonum cognatum'' Meissn extracts
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Volume 83, Issue 1, pages 64–69, 1 January 2003

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3337007 cognatum Flora of Turkey Flora of Georgia (country) Flora of Syria Flora of Iran Flora of Pakistan Plants described in 1826 Edible plants Taxa named by Carl Meissner