# Native Israel plant ID



## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

I found 2 plants today while traveling in Isreal.

1st in emersed, and might be semi aquatic, it just looked very familiar...




























2nd is submersed, and grows in in big thick bunches.










Thanks!


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

1st looks a bit like Samolus valerandi, not sure if that species is found in Israel specifically, but it is native across much of the northern hemisphere, and typically distributed along coastlines. Was this plant by any chance in a location within a few miles of the shore? S. valerandi is often associated with rivers/streams that have some tidal variations in salinity.

2nd one is a Persicaria species. Couldn't tell you which one without flowers; local botanical records can probably give you a better idea of which Persicaria are native/established in your region (I'll be the first to tell you that Israeli flora is not a subject I pretend to have great knowledge of), but I can at least give you a genus to start with.


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks, the first one was found not near a sea shore, but near the sea of galilee.

2nd one had small white flowers, and seems to me like either Persicaria decipiens or Persicaria lapathifolia, any tips on which one of these it can be?

And how would I care for them, any special requierments?

Thanks!


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Persicaria ID is not really easy (I have difficulties to ID the P. species in Germany, too), You need some literature about the Persicaria/Polygonum species resp. about the whole flora of the region. Important characteristics may be e.g. details of the so-called ochrea on the nodes, checked with magnifying glass.
If You don't know the Flora of Israel website yet, it may be helpful: http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=identify


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks, yes I know this site, I'ts the Jerusalem Uni.

After some research I found a couple options:

http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?lang=en&action=specie&specie=PERACU
Persicaria acuminata has the same leaves, and the flowers i remember look quiet like it. The orchea on the nodes is a bit different, but submersed leaves are the same:
http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?lang=en&action=specie&specie=PERDEC&fileid=12845

There are 5 species in israel of Persicaria. Only these two are even close, I'm guessign on the 1st one.

By the way, how do you know about the website? It's in Hebrew after all.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

OK, only five species is a manageable number. Interesting that Persicaria acuminata has a tropical distribution type. Perhaps many wetland Persicaria species can grow submersed, I've tried it successfully with P. hydropiper but failed with P. maculosa that occurs rather in medium moist places.


Tikulila said:


> By the way, how do you know about the website? It's in Hebrew after all.


I can't Hebrew, but much on the site is in English, i've found it by googling after "Flora Israel".
I've tried to learn the Hebrew alphabet, difficult to tell the letters apart


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## Tikulila (Feb 18, 2011)

Yea, the alphabet isn't very easy .

Well, I'll let the plant grow, which it isn't doing right now, when I will get more that 3 leaves then maybe telling apart will be easier.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

The best aid for the ID would be an identification key for these 5 Persicaria species. I don't find one on the website, but perhaps there's any printed publication with a key, possibly with the Persicarias still treated under Polygonum.
The leaf form may be variable depending on conditions.


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