2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
The ink / Exacum affine / is a perennial herbaceous plant that has shiny heart-shaped leaves. The stems of cinquefoil reach 1 m in height. They are straight and unbranched, they are gray-green in color due to the waxy coating on them. The flowers are small but very fragrant, they are differently colored by nature, but the most common are the beautiful blue-violet colors. The cinquefoil blooms in July and August.
Among 400 species tintava there are also annuals. Blackbirds are distributed in the mountainous areas of the subtropical and temperate regions of all continents except Antarctica. According to legend, the plant is named after the Illyrian king Gentius, who 500 years before the new era first noticed the healing properties of yellow cinquefoil and used its juices during the plague.
It is believed that cinquefoil is a flower of extreme conditions - its homeland are the mountains and the northern plains. Some species of cinquefoil even bloom in the Himalayas at 5,500 meters above sea level.
Depending on their natural habitat, cinquefoils grow in different areas - some prefer the sun and others shade. What affects the cinquefoils badly is the lack of moisture.
Types of cinquefoil
There are several species in our mountains tingling. However, all of them have paid a very high price for their healing properties - they have been eradicated and now their existence is being tested. Nowadays, things are different because they have the status of protected plants. The first type of cinquefoil - spring cinquefoil adorns with its colors the meadows of Vitosha, Rila, Pirin and Stara Planina.
In the months of June-July begins to bloom beautiful spotted tingling, which reaches a height of 50 cm. Spotted cinquefoil has yellowish colors that are speckled with brown dots. It is found in Vitosha, where you can see the yellow and blue cinquefoil.
About 90 species are grown in the gardens tingling. Some bloom in autumn, others in summer and spring:
Spring cinquefoil / G. verna / - it is miniature, but on the other hand it is very beautiful. There are bright blue colors that always look up and do not exceed 2 cm in height. In nature, this small cinquefoil forms real carpets on the rocky meadows.
In early summer, they begin to bloom resembling their stemless tingling /G.acaulis/ and G. closii. These are mountain cinquefoils that have the largest flowers, which, like the previous cinquefoil, have upside-down colors. The whole plant is 10-12 cm high, and the flowers reach an impressive 8 cm.
Next is the Daurian cinquefoil / G. dahurica. This cinquefoil originates from Siberia and has about 30 cm lying stems. The small flowers are gathered in dense inflorescences, similar to blue balls.
G. paradoxa and G.septemfida bloom at the same time. They have up to 30 cm long recumbent stems, and the flowers are arranged in groups of 2 to 10.
In the period June-August blooms blue cinquefoil / G. cruciate /. It has erect and leafy stems that are between 30-60 cm high. During the flowering period the plant is literally strewn with flowers.
Tibetan cinquefoil blooms in parallel with blue cinquefoil. Its large leaves are very difficult to evaporate moisture and it is quite difficult to tolerate the scorching sun, although its flowers dissolve only in the sun.
Yellow cinquefoil / G. lutea / is large and up to 1.5 meters tall, with erect stems and beautiful leaves. Its flowers are numerous, located at the top of the stem and in the axils of the upper leaves. It blooms in July-August for two months.
Composition of cinquefoil
Blue cinquefoil contains xanthones, pectin, mucous substances, bitter glycosides, tannins, essential oil, fatty oil. Yellow cinquefoil contains glycosides, mucus, pectin, fats, resins, gonciosterol and others.
Growing cinquefoil
If you want to grow tingling, keep in mind that all species dissolve their colors only in sufficient sunlight. And yet, planted in the open do not grow very well. The heat under the scorching rays in the garden can be detrimental to them.
It is best to choose a place that is located in the light shade of shrubs or trees in a sunny but shaded corner at noon. Plain cinquefoils grow in fields where tall grasses protect them from the sun, so similar conditions should be created in the garden by planting lower plants around them.
Benefits of cinquefoil
It turns out that in addition to being beautiful, cinquefoil is also very useful. The blue one tingling is useful for the stomach and stimulates the appetite, has a choleretic effect. Cinderella is recommended in the treatment of biliary anorexia, to stimulate salivary secretion, to increase gastric secretion and the body's resistance.
Cinquefoil root has a tonic effect on the liver.
The herb also suppresses viruses affecting the liver. In cases of stomach upset, cinquefoil root is an indispensable helper. It improves the overall health of the digestive system and increases appetite.
