Skip to content
Garden Forward

perennial

Red bistort

Persicaria amplexicaulis

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

Create a garden to see this

Future-climate resilience

Create a garden to see this

Sun

Sun or shade

Soil moisture

average, moisture-retentive

Heat tolerance

Up to about 38°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -30°C

Waterlogging tolerance

4/5

Drought tolerance

2/5

Mature size

0.9–1.2 m tall, 1 m spread

Seasonal interest

Summer to autumn · Crimson

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Spreads into a wide clump; thirsty in drought.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Persicaria amplexicaulis (D.Don) Ronse Decr.
Family
Polygonaceae (Caryophyllales)
Rank and status
species · synonym
GBIF record
Taxon 4036951

Recorded as introduced in: Belgium, Brussels-Capital Region, Channel Is., Czech Republic, England, Flemish Region, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands and 2 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Bistorta amplexicaulis (synonym Persicaria amplexicaulis), the red bistort or mountain fleece, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae, native to China, the Himalayas, and Pakistan. It is a damp-loving herbaceous perennial growing to 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and wide, with heart-shaped pointed leaves, downy beneath, and narrow spikes of rose-red or white flowers in summer. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, including 'Firetail'.

Description from Wikipedia — Bistorta amplexicaulis (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: climate-suitable
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.