Abstract:Persicaria odorata (Lour.) Soják is a perennial odoriferous herb and native to Indo-China. The species has been widely transplanted in China by Dai and Hakka peoples of Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Yunnan provinces, and recently found to be naturalized in some tropical regions of Yunnan. Persicaria odorata is most similar to the Chinese endemics P. wugongshanensis B. Li in having leaves and tepals minutely glandular, inflorescences spike-like and interrupted, flowers dimorphic, and pedicels longer than bracts, but clearly different from the latter by having developed rhizomes, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate leaf blades, and shiny achenes. The present study reports the morphology, distribution and usages of P. odorata and provides its illustration.
