The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum, and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers to the many swollen nodes the stems of some species have. I... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonaceae
The only family of the buckwheat order of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It has 40 genera of herbs, shrubs, and trees. ... (12 Dec 1998) ... Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/local/20973
Polygonaceae is a family of herbaceous plants, characterised by the presence of an ochrea - a membranous sheath enclosing the stem at each of the joints, and bearing spikes or panicles of small flowers, often unisexual. Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/browse/BPA.HTM