Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
POLYGONUM LEPATHIFOLIUM
LINNAEUS
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Common name: Curly-top knotweed
Distribution: Europe, Asia, North America
Habitat: Wet to moist habitats
Description: This is an erect forb growing to a maximum height of 1.5 m and
having unhairy stems with nodes. The leaves (30 cm long) are alternate and
lanceolate. The four- or ive-part lowers (3 mm long) are white to pinkish
and are in dense clusters or inlorescences of 5 cm long.
Compounds and activities: This plant has yielded bioactive lavonoids, viz.,
5-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxy lavones, 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy lavonone
(pinostrobin), and phenylpropanoid esters of sucrose, vanicoside B, and
lapathoside A. Among them, compounds phenylpropanoid esters of sucrose,
vanicoside B, and lapathoside have shown antitumor and cancer chemo-
preventive activities. The compound pinostrobin has shown antileukemic
activity (Midori et al.,
20 01).
CH
3
O
O
O
O
O
H
3
C
O
O
OH
O
5-methoxy-6, 7-methylenedioxy
avones
5-hydroxy-7-methoxy
avonone
