Redshank

Redshank can refer to:

Redshank (soldier)

Redshank was a nickname for Scottish mercenaries from the Highlands' Western Isles. They were a prominent feature of Irish armies throughout the 16th century. They were called Redshanks because they went dressed in kilts and waded bare-legged through rivers in the coldest weather. They were usually armed alike, principally with bows and two-handed claymores.

They came from the clans of the Hebrides because of the recent breakup of the Lordship of the Isles, as well as from the poorer clans of mainland Scotland. The Redshanks mostly came from the clans of MacLeod, MacQuarrie, MacLean, MacDonald, and Campbell.

Unlike the Gallowglass, which were hired for long periods of service and paid in land and beef, the Redshanks were hired for the summer months. They were billeted (housed) with civilians, usually by force. This was known as the Buannacht system.

References

Persicaria maculosa

Persicaria maculosa (syn. Polygonum persicaria) is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Common names include lady's thumb,spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. It is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland south to Portugal and east to Japan. It is also present as an introduced and invasive species in North America, where it was first noted in the Great Lakes region in 1843 and has now spread through most of the continent.

The oldest name available for this species is Polygonum persicaria, coined by Linnaeus in 1753. In transferring the species from Polygonum to Persicaria, the name Persicaria persicaria cannot be used because using the same word for both parts of the scientific name is prohibited by international argeement.

Description

Persicaria maculosa is an annual herb up to 80 cm (31 in) tall, with an erect rather floppy stem with swollen joints. The leaves are alternate and almost stalkless. The leaf blades often have a brown or black spot in the centre and are narrowly ovate and have entire margins. Each leaf base has stipules which are fused into a stem-enclosing sheath that is loose and fringed with long hairs at the upper end. The inflorescence is a dense spike. The perianth of each tiny pink flower consists of four or five lobes, fused near the base. There are six stamens, two fused carpels and two styles. The fruit is a shiny black, three-edged achene. This plant flowers from July to September in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.