Pucao

Pucao in Wuliangsuhai, Inner Mongolia, has attracted much attention due to the visit of tourists, because in Wuliangsuhai, a large number of birds play here every year. Dandelion sometimes becomes their habitat, and these landscapes are loved by many people as excellent photographic scenery in the eyes of travelers.

Water candle

synonym

Cattail generally refers to water candle

Water candle is the correct name of Pucao

(Latin name: Typha angustifolia), Typhaceae, Typha aquatic or biogas perennial herbs. The plant is tall, erect and stout, with long leaves and thick female inflorescence. The leaf sheath embraces the stem. Nutlets oblong, seeds dark brown. The flowering and fruiting period is from June to September.

It is widely distributed and often grows in marshes along rivers and lakes. It is a kind of wild vegetable in China. The white tender part of the false stem (Pucai) and the young part of the underground stolon tip (grass bud) can be eaten. It tastes fresh and delicious. Pollen as medicine, known as "pollen", can be anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, diuretic; female flowers as "pollen", can fill the bed pillow. Inflorescence can be cut or dried. Water candle is a traditional Chinese waterscape flower, which is used to beautify water surface and wetland. The leaves of the water candle can be used as weaving materials, the stem and leaf fibers can be used for papermaking;

morphological character

Perennial, aquatic or marshy herbs. Rhizome milky yellow, grayish yellow, white apex. Aboveground stem erect, stout, about 1.5-2.5 (- 3) m high. The leaf blade is 54-120 cm long and 0.4-0.9 cm wide, with flat upper part, slightly concave ventral surface below the middle part, convex convex back, semicircular cross section at the lower part, large intercellular space and spongy shape; the leaf sheath embraces the stem.

The male inflorescence is 2.5-6.9 cm apart from the female inflorescence; the male inflorescence axis is brownish pubescent, single, or bifurcated; the leaf bracts are 1-3, falling off after anthesis; the female inflorescence is 15-30 cm long, with a leaf bract at the base, usually wider than the leaf, falling off after anthesis; the male inflorescence consists of 3 stamens, sometimes 2 or 4 stamens, the anther is about 2 mm long, the long distance is round, and the pollen is single, subglobose, ovate or trifoliate Filaments short, slender, lower part connate into a stalk, long (1.5 -) Female flowers with bracteoles; stigmas of pregnant female flowers narrow strip or lanceolate, ca. 1.3-1.8 mm long, style 1-1.5 mm long, ovary fusiform, ca. 1 mm long, with brown spots, ovary petiole slender, ca. 5 mm long; ovary of sterile female flowers oblong cone, 1-1.2 mm long, with brown spots, apex yellowish Brown, sterile stigma short pointed; white filiform hairs At the base of the ovary stalk, it extends upward, and is nearly as long as the bracteoles, shorter than the stigma.

Nutlets oblong, ca. 1. 5 mm, brown spotted, longitudinally lobed. Seeds dark brown, ca. 1-1. 2 mm. The flowering and fruiting period is from June to September.

Growth environment

It grows in shallow water of lakes, rivers and ponds, with water depth up to 1 meter or deeper. It is also common in swamps and ditches. When the water body is dry, it can grow in wetlands and surface cracking environment.

geographical distribution

It is widely distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, Yunnan, Taiwan and other provinces. It is also distributed in Nepal, India, Pakistan, Japan, the former Soviet Union, Europe, America and Oceania.

cultivation techniques

Colonization

(1) soil preparation water candle is most suitable to grow in lakes or ponds with shallow water and the deepest fertile soil at the bottom. Before planting, soil preparation should be carried out. If the soil is solid, ploughing or digging planting holes with spade should be carried out. The holes are 23-26 cm square. If the soil is soft, just dig out the grass roots for composting, and the composting must be carried out 15 days before planting.

(2) in the planting period, the Yangtze River Valley is generally from Qingming to Xiaoshu, and the best planting period is from the beginning of summer to Xiaoman, because at this time, the seedlings have grown relatively high, and the temperature is suitable, and it is easy to survive and grow fast, so that a higher yield can be obtained in that year. When planting, the ramet seedlings with strong growth, thick pseudostem, wide leaves and green color should be selected. The seedlings should be dug and planted on the same day. The spacing between plants and rows should be 50-60 cm square. If the soil is soft and the water depth is below 60 cm, it can be planted by hand, and the planting depth is about 17 cm. If the soil is hard, it is necessary to dig the hole with a spade, support the seedling into the hole, and block the root with soil. After planting, some leaves must be exposed to water for photosynthesis and respiration. If the leaves are too long, the upper part should be cut off, otherwise, it is not conducive to rooting and survival.

(3) intercropping water candle can be intercropped with lotus root, that is, 3 rows of water candle can be planted, about 3 meters of open space can be left, and 1 row of lotus root can be planted. Within one year, both water candle and lotus root can be harvested. Lotus root is deeply buried in the soil, but water candle grows in the topsoil without interference. Both crops can grow normally, and can prevent excessive evaporation of water and the spread of weeds.

Administration

(1) weeds should be removed by hand half a month after planting. It is better to weed 2-3 times in a row. Weeds should be removed before and after the heat stroke. In this way, 3 batches of ramets can occur.

(2) the shallow water layer of more than 17 cm should be kept in the lake and pool one month before the plant germination in spring to meet the needs of underground root activity. With the acceleration of plant germination and growth, the water layer should be deepened gradually. After the plant grows up, the water layer can be deepened to 60-100 cm. In order that most or all of the false stems can be submerged in water, the water candle should not be short of water and suffer from drought, otherwise, the plant will be yellow and thin, a large number of bolting and flowering, few or no ramets.

(3) after 5-6 years of planting, the yield of water candle will drop, so it should be renewed in time. There are three methods of renewal: first, dig out the mother plant on the ground about 2 meters wide, keep the adjacent mother plant of the same width, and dig out the mother forest on the reserved ground when the mother plant has ramets and the new plant spreads to the open space; second, dig out all the mother plants and plant new ramets; third, change the land and replant plant.

Temperature management: because it originated in temperate or warm temperate regions, so the temperature requirements are not too strict, as long as not less than 0 ℃ can safely overwinter; not higher than 33 ℃ can smoothly spend the summer. The optimum growth temperature is 15-30 ℃.

Light management: sufficient direct sunlight is needed for normal growth. If the light is not enough, or it is kept in the shade environment, the leaves will grow thin and yellow, the branches or petioles will be thin, the internodes will be elongated, and the petals will be small, the color of the flowers will be light, and even the flowers will not bloom.

Water management: it needs to live in water all its life.

Fertilizer management: when the temperature rises in spring (8-10 ℃), the pot can be planted. The pot should choose a 50 cm diameter earthen jar, cover the bottom hole of the pot with tiles, add 3-5 cm thick pond mud, and then put 3 cm thick rotten organic fertilizer as the base fertilizer. The upper part should be covered with pond mud, put it to half the height of the flowerpot, put in the rhizome, and fill in the pond mud. The mud surface is about 12-18 cm away from the edge of the pot a centimeter. The rhizome is planted well, add water, and the depth is about 2 cm. After the small floating leaves grow, it is necessary to apply liquid fertilizer in time. It is suggested to apply "huhuabao" series of household flower fertilizer. This series of fertilizer has a special formula for it, which can meet the needs of its growth and flowering to the greatest extent.

Spring: after the temperature rises, the plants germinate and grow quickly, and can be watered with "Huabao". Before pouring "huhuabao", clean up the residual water in the tank, and then add "huhuabao" fertilizer until the edge of the basin. Fertilizer and water can be recycled in the order of "Huabao" - Qingshui - "Huabao" - Qingshui. The interval is about 3-4 days.

Summer: in this season, the temperature is high, the humidity is high, the transpiration of the plant is strong, and there is a large demand for fertilizer. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously water the "flower protection treasure" and then water, that is, "flower protection treasure" - water - "flower protection treasure" - water. In this way, the interval between fertilizer and water is about 1-2 days, so as to keep the water or fertilizer in the flowerpot free from putrefaction and avoid breeding mosquitoes and flies.

Autumn: in autumn, it will bloom naturally. When you see the buds, just pour water. After flowering to the frost stage, it will gradually wither, enter a dormant state, to move indoors, and keep the basin only about one centimeter deep water, or simply pour out the water, only to keep the basin soil moist.

recovery

If it is not harvested in time, the tender stems will be quickly pulled out of the water and become new plants. If there are too many new plants, they will shade each other and affect the yield. The harvest Puge should be harvested according to the plant growth. In the year of planting, if the plant grows vigorously, it can be harvested from June to July, and then from August to September; if the growth is not strong, it can only be harvested in August From the beginning of summer to Xiaoman in the second year, when the height of the new plant is about 60-100 cm, it should be plucked once by hand, and then it should be harvested once a month, a total of three times.

When harvesting, the thinner or bolting plants should be harvested first, leaving vigorous and strong plants to ensure continuous high yield. After the first and second harvest, it is best to apply a topdressing to promote the recovery of growth. When picking grass sprouts, you can pick them from spring to summer, and try to pick them in the soil at any time, but you should consider that you can't pick water candle at the same time; when picking cattail, you should pick less or no grass sprouts at all, so as not to reduce the output of cattail.

Chinese PinYin : Pu Cao