Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FALLOPIA SACHALINENSIS
F. SCHMIDT
(=
POLYGONUM SACHALINENSE
)
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Common name: Giant knotweed
Distribution: East Asia, Russia, Britain
Habitat: Riverbanks, along ravines, streams
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant grows to a maximum height of
4 m and has strong, spreading rhizomes. Leaves (40 × 30 cm) are heart
shaped, wavy, and with crenate margins. Flowers are small and dioecious
and are present in short panicles (10 cm long).
Compounds and activities: The bioactive compounds isolated from this species
include phenyl acetonitrile (E)-β-ocimene, linalool, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-
nonatriene, and (E,E)-α-farnesene. The polysaccharides of this species have
displayed signiicant radical scavenging activities in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-pic-
rylhydrazyl free radical assay, and they may have potential applications as
novel natural antioxidants (Hromadkova et al., 2010). The anthroquinones
isolated from the leaves of this species could serve as lyrosinase inhibitors
and in the preparation of dermal drugs. Further, the extract of this species
has shown antitussive activity.
N
CH
3
O
O
H
3
C
OH
CH
2
CH
3
CH
3
CH
2
H
3
C
CH
3
phenyl acetonitrile
(E)-β-Ocimene
linalool
