This is a deep rose red coloured species of bistort which may reach a mere or more in height. The heart-shaped pointed leaves clasp the stem.

A damp loving species which may be found around pool margins and similar wet situations.

Flowering July to October.

Perennial.

Often escaping cultivation to become established in the wild. It is not uncommon in southern England, the Midlands and the north west but much less common elsewhere in Britain.

Uncommon as a wildflower in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 1 of the 617 tetrads.