Malan Flower

Iris lactea

Iris lactea (scientific name: IrislacteaPall.var.chinensis (Fisch.) Koidz.); also known as Manglietia, Malan, Malan, Hanpu, Allium, etc., it is a perennial herb perennial root plant of iris genus in Iridaceae, and a variety of iris lactea, with dense perennial herbs.

Rhizomes and leaves are thick and strong, fibrous roots are dense and developed, and the length can reach more than 1 meter, which is umbrella like distribution.

The leaves are basal, wide and linear, the height can reach 1250px, the width is 0.4 ~ 25px, gray green, the height of flower stem is about 250px, there are 2 ~ 4 flowers, the flowers are light blue, blue or blue purple, and the perianth has dark stripes; the capsule is long elliptic columnar, with 6 obvious ribs, and the top has a short beak; the length is 4 ~ 150px, the seed is irregular polyhedron, brown, slightly glossy, and the seed matures in September. The flowering period is from May to June and the fruiting period is from June to September.

It grows mostly in wasteland, roadside and hillside grassland, especially in overgrazing saline alkali grassland.

Distributed in North Korea, Russia, India and China.

morphological character

Iris lactea is a variety of iris lactea var. alba, which is perennial and dense herb. The rhizome is thick, woody, obliquely extended, with a large number of dense red and purple broken old leaves, residual leaf sheaths and hairy fibers; the fibrous roots are thick and long, yellowish white, with few branches. leaves basal, tough, grayish green, strip-shaped or narrowly sword shaped, ca. 50 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, apex acuminate, base sheathed, reddish purple, without obvious midrib. flowers are light blue, blue or blue purple, perianth with dark stripes, stems smooth, 5-10 cm high; bracts 3-5, herbaceous, green, edge white, lanceolate, 4.5-10 cm long, 0.8-1.6 cm wide, apex acuminate or long acuminate, containing 2-4 flowers; flowers milky white, 5-6 cm in diameter; pedicels 4-7 cm long; perianth tube very short, about 3 mm long, outer perianth Lobes oblanceolate, 4.5-6.5 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm wide, apex obtuse or acute, claw cuneate, inner perianth lobes narrowly oblanceolate, 4.2-4.5 cm long, 5-7 mm wide, claw narrowly cuneate; stamens 2.5-3.2 cm long, anthers yellow, filaments white; ovary fusiform, 3-4.5 cm long. the capsule is oblong columnar, 4-6 cm long, 1-1.4 cm in diameter, with 6 obvious ribs and a short beak at the top; the seeds are irregular polyhedron, brown and slightly glossy. the flowering period is from May to June and the fruiting period is from June to September.

Growth habit

The root system of iris lactea is well developed, the depth of penetration can reach 1 meter, the fibrous roots are dense and developed, and they are distributed in umbrella shape, which not only makes it have strong resistance and adaptability, but also makes it have strong ability of binding soil and water conservation. the vertical growth of iris lactea leaves can effectively reduce water evaporation, alleviate the direct erosion of rainwater on the surface, and also facilitate the root ventilation. under adverse environmental conditions, the aboveground part of iris lactea will become relatively low, and the aboveground growth will be reduced by more than 20%; at the same time, the root system will be more developed, and it will increase by more than 10%, which is conducive to its normal survival in high temperature, drought, waterlogging and other adverse environments. its seeds germinate normally under the condition of 0.44% salt content; when the salt content is 0.51%, the germination rate decreases obviously, and when the salt content reaches 0.75%, it loses the germination ability. After germination, the seedlings can still grow normally and blossom and bear fruit under the condition of soil salt content of 0.27% and pH value of 7.9-8.8. it grows mostly on wasteland, roadside and hillside grassland, especially on overgrazing saline alkali grassland. It can be used for soil and water conservation and improvement of saline alkali soil.

geographical distribution

It is distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Sichuan and Tibet. Also produced in Korea, Russia and India.

Plant characteristics

Drought resistance characteristics

The root system of iris lactea is well developed, the depth of penetration can reach more than 1 meter, and the fibrous roots are dense and developed, which are distributed in umbrella shape. This is not only a strong guarantee for its strong resistance and adaptability, but also a strong ability to bind the soil and retain water. the vertical growth of iris lactea leaves can effectively reduce water evaporation, alleviate the direct erosion of rainwater on the surface, and also facilitate the root ventilation. under the adverse environmental conditions, the aboveground part of iris lactea will become relatively low, the aboveground growth will be reduced by more than 20%, and the root system will be more developed, and the root system will increase by more than 10%, which is conducive to its normal survival in the adverse environment of high temperature, drought, flood and so on.

Salt and alkaline tolerance

Iris lactea is a kind of heavy saline alkali tolerant plant, its seeds germinate normally under the condition of 0.44% salt content; when the salt content is 0.51%, the germination rate decreases obviously, and the salt content reaches 0.75%, so it loses the germination ability. after germination, the seedlings can still grow normally and blossom and bear fruit under the condition of soil salt content of 0.27% and pH value of 7.9-8.8, which is a rare good material for afforestation and improvement of saline alkali land.

Greenness of leaves

In northern China, iris generally turns green at the end of March, begins to bloom in late April, enters full bloom from mid May to the end of May, ends to bloom in mid June, withers and turns yellow in early November, and the green period lasts for more than 280 days. the color of iris lactea is green, the flowers are elegant and beautiful, the nectar is fragrant, and the flowering period is more than 50 days.

Disease and insect resistance

Iris lactea has a strong ability of disease and insect resistance. Not only does it never produce diseases and insect pests in a single vegetation community, but also because of its special secretion, it rarely produces diseases and insect pests when mixed with other plants, which greatly reduces the investment and cost of disease and insect control after green land is built.

Ecological function

Iris lactea likes sunlight and is a little shade tolerant, and its aboveground stems and leaves wither in winter in North China. It can endure high temperature, drought, waterlogging and salinization. It is a kind of ground cover flower with strong adaptability. under the condition of drought and poor soil fertility, the growth of stems and leaves in the above ground part of iris lactea will decrease by more than 20%, while the growth of roots will increase by more than 10%. When the soil salt content reaches 7% and the pH value reaches 7.9-8.8, iris lactea can still blossom and bear fruit normally. iris lactea is widely distributed in nature. iris lactea has well-developed root system, strong resistance and adaptability, and salt and alkali resistance. These characteristics determine that it is very suitable for soil and water conservation and greening transformation of saline and alkali land in dry climate and sandy soil areas of northern China. the vertical growth of iris lactea leaves can effectively reduce water evaporation, alleviate the direct erosion of rainwater on the surface, and is also conducive to the root ventilation. Iris lactea growth has a high permeability function, which has a significant effect on the rapid infiltration and storage of precipitation, the conservation of groundwater, and the creation of wetland environment. under the adverse environmental conditions, the aboveground part of iris lactea will become relatively low (the aboveground growth will be reduced by more than 20%), and the root system will be more developed (the root system will increase by more than 10%), which will help it survive in the adverse environment of high temperature and drought, saline alkali, waterlogging and poor ridge. iris lactea is also a kind of heavy saline alkali tolerant plant, which can grow normally and blossom and bear fruit under the condition of salt content of 7% and pH value of 7.9-8.8. It is a rare good material for afforestation and improvement of saline alkali land. This is an obvious example of the indomitable growth of iris lactea. In the no man's land of Lop Nur in Northwest China, and in the Kongque River Basin of ancient Loulan, other plants no longer exist, but the scattered distribution of iris lactea fully shows the indomitable vitality of the survival of the fittest. In the no man's land of Lop Nur for thousands of years, only the beautiful landscape of iris lactea green and flowers is beautiful It fully proves the survival miracle of iris. give China and the world a green light for combating desertification. The leaves of iris lactea and its water regulation and ecological characteristics are the space for the survival and development of fungi and insects, the necessary conditions for the survival of natural and wild animals, the prerequisite for the biological chain, and the preferred strategy for improving the ecological environment and combating desertification. in order to improve the ecological environment of fragile vegetation in Northwest China, it is an effective measure to solve the deterioration of ecological environment by using the native plant vegetation instead of the short-term adaptation and practical use of imported plant species. The introduction of imported plant species from abroad, along with the introduction of its disease, is not worth the loss The function of the lower water source and its shading effect control the water evaporation, and the vegetation gradually becomes a wetland environment, creating a new pattern for the whole biological chain. iris lactea has the characteristics of simple and rapid propagation, strong vitality and necessary for the establishment of artificial vegetation. iris lactea can be propagated both by seed and asexual propagation. The germination rate of direct seeding seeds is more than 80%, and the survival rate of transplanting mature iris lactea is also high. the new seedlings grow rapidly and mature in the next year. Iris lactea has strong resistance to drought, cold, salt and alkali, and trample. It also has strong resistance to diseases and insect pests. Not only does it never produce diseases and insect pests in the vegetation of iris lactea, but because its special secretions are not damaged by rats, rats never go to the grassland of iris lactea to make holes and build nests Once the vegetation is formed, there is no need to carry out later maintenance, and the effect of once and for all is achieved. in addition to the function of water and soil conservation, iris lactea has high ornamental value and economic value. the color of iris lactea is blue and green, and the green period can reach more than 280 days in northern China; the flowers of iris lactea are elegant and beautiful, dense and fragrant, and the flowering period can be up to 50 days, which can also be used as cutting materials; iris lactea is resistant to trampling, and can recover without cultivation after trampling

Chinese PinYin : Ma Lan Hua