Bistort Rhizome Root | Organic | Polygonum Bistort

Description

This product is the bistort rhizome and root of a perennial flowering plant, listed by Ourland Herbs as organic Polygonum bistort. The plant’s botanical name is Persicaria bistorta (synonym Polygonum bistorta; the genus name also appears as Bistorta), a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae, native to Europe and northern and western Asia. The part sold is the underground portion of the plant: the root together with the rhizome, the thick underground stem.

The bistort plant and its names

The original page records the plant’s common names: bistort, common bistort, European bistort and meadow bistort, and also snakeroot, snake-root, snakeweed and Easter-ledges. The snake names follow the twisted shape of the rhizome itself — “bistort” likewise refers to the twice-twisted form of the underground stem, which is the part harvested for this product.

The Latin name records the same shape: bistorta is formed from bis, “twice”, and torta, “twisted” — twice-twisted, after the form of the underground stem. The plant’s generic placement has moved over time, which is why the older names Polygonum and Persicaria still appear alongside the now-accepted Bistorta.

As a perennial, the plant returns year after year from the same underground rootstock, which is why the bistort rhizome is a substantial, established part of the plant rather than a seasonal growth. The listing places the product among Herbs, Botanical product, Bulk available and Herbal Drinks.

The bistort plant above ground

Above ground, bistort is an herbaceous perennial growing 20 to 80 cm tall and spreading to about 90 cm wide. The foliage is mostly basal: longish-oval leaves with long, winged stalks and rounded or heart-shaped bases, with a few smaller, triangular, stalkless leaves up the stem, and stipules fused into a sheath around the stem. The plant grows from the thick, twisted rootstock that gives snakeroot its name.

From late spring into autumn the plant sends up tall, erect, unbranched stems, each ending in a single club-like spike, 5–7 cm long, of rose-pink flowers; each flower has five perianth segments and eight stamens, and flowering is concentrated in June and July. The fruit that follows is a glossy black nut. Those spikes are the meadow bistort of the plant’s common names, flowering above the rhizome this listing sells.

In the wild, bistort is typically found in moist meadows, nutrient-rich wooded swamps, forest edges and wetlands, and in parks, gardens and disturbed ground; it is native to Europe and has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including New England in the United States. In dry conditions the plant goes dormant, losing its foliage until adequate moisture returns — a perennial rhythm centred on the underground rootstock.

Working with bistort rhizome

Bistort rhizome is a dense, woody underground stem, and it is handled like other dried roots and rhizomes: measured by weight, and cut or broken into smaller pieces when a preparation calls for a greater surface area. Keep the pieces in the form you receive them until use, and prepare only the quantity a given recipe or preparation specifies.

Store the bistort rhizome sealed in a cool, dry place, protected from moisture. Dried roots and rhizomes are stored the same way as other dried botanicals: airtight, away from light and damp, and checked for dryness before the container is closed after each use.

Choosing a size of bistort rhizome

Choose from 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 ounce sizes. The smaller sizes suit a first purchase of this less common botanical; the larger sizes suit regular preparation or bulk keeping.

To identify the product plainly: this bistort rhizome is the root and rhizome of Persicaria bistorta, the European and west-Asian perennial also called snakeroot and Easter-ledges, sold dried and organic in six sizes. No other plant part is listed for this product.

Pairs well with: Stone Root · Sweet Violet Flower