Mordovia is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Asters family. It is distinguished by unusual spherical inflorescences. The plant is also known under the names "echinops", "tatarnik", "bluehead", "shoot". The most common mordovia received in Siberia, the European part of Russia, in Western Europe and the Caucasus. Carved foliage and unusual flowers look spectacular in the garden. They attract honey insects and are also used in folk medicine. Learning to care for a muzzle is easy. In gratitude, he will give lush vegetation.
Botanical characteristics
Mordovia is a tall herbaceous plant. Perennials predominate in the genus, although one- and two-year-old cultures are found. The height of erect stems reaches 0.5-2 m. The stem root of the muzzle is deep into the soil. In the upper part, the shoot branches out. It is covered with short fibers of silver or brown.
Cirrus dissected spiny leaves are grouped mainly at the base of the shoot. The root foliage has petioles, and the stem leaves sit tightly on the shoot. The dark green leaf plate grows 10–25 cm long and 5–10 cm wide. The higher the leaves are from the ground, the smaller they become. The upper side of the sheet has a glossy wavy surface, and the bottom is covered with a thick felt pile.
Flowering begins in late May and lasts more than a month. Small tubular flowers are collected in a spherical inflorescence at the end of the stem. In each inflorescence can be 150-400 buds. On one plant, up to 30 inflorescences develop. The diameter of the head is 3-5 cm. The flower petals are painted in blue, blue or white. Around each flower there is a barely noticeable bristly wrapper.
In late June, fruits begin to ripen - miniature cylindrical achenes. They have a glandular membrane and a crest. The length of the achene is about 6 mm.
Species of the muzzle
The genus of the muzzle has 190 species, while less than a dozen of them are grown in the culture of our country.
The muzzle is spherical. The plant is especially popular. Upright, almost bare stem 1.2-1.5 m long forks at the top. Each shoot is crowned with a large blue-white inflorescence spherical in shape. Its diameter is 4-7 cm. The dark green leaf plate is dissected into small lobes, which end with sharp spikes. Flowering occurs in June-July.
The muzzle is ordinary. The variety is more compact in size. The height of the shoot does not exceed 60 cm. The dark green stem and the reverse side of the leaves are covered with glandular silvery villi. The length of the next sessile foliage is 6-20 cm. In July-August, blue spherical inflorescences bloom about 2 cm in diameter. A white column with an ovary significantly protrudes from the center of each flower.
The muzzle is broadleaf. The height of this perennial plant is 30-75 cm. A dense stem is covered with a long silvery pile. Dark green leaves with a prickly serrated edge grow 20 cm in length, and their width is 10 cm. In May, beautiful blue-violet inflorescences bloom.
Growing and planting
Reproduction of the muzzle is done by seed. The collected seeds are dried and stored in a dry, warm place. They retain germination for 3 years. Landing is done immediately in open ground. This is best done in the fall, but spring sowing is also allowed. Spring shoots develop somewhat more slowly. Before autumn sowing, it is recommended to carry out cold stratification for a week. This procedure will prepare the seeds for the coming frosts.
In September-October, the seeds are mixed with sawdust and evenly distributed into grooves to a depth of 1.5-3 cm. The distance between the grooves should be 60 cm. Then the soil should be leveled with a rake. No additional shelter needed. Well, if in winter the whole field is covered with snow, then the sprouts will begin to develop earlier, and friendly shoots will appear in early spring.
In the northern regions, you can pre-grow seedlings. This is advisable if you need to sow a small area. Seedlings begin to grow in early March. Seeds are sown in containers with sand and peat soil and carefully moistened. Shoots appear after 7-10 days. So that the seedlings do not freeze, they are planted in open ground only in mid-May.
Mordovia prefers loose fertile soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. On heavy clay soils, it develops poorly. Also, the plant negatively refers to the proximity of groundwater and water bodies. In the first year, the grass builds up its root mass and forms a lush rosette of basal leaves. From the second year, a long stem begins to develop, which is covered with beautiful inflorescences. Every year, the size of the bush is becoming larger and flowering is more plentiful.
Plant care
Caring for the muzzle is quite simple. He is most vulnerable only in the first year of life, when he can suffer from the dominance of weeds or from severe frosts. In the future, the gardener will have to make more efforts to limit the spread of the plant throughout the garden.
Mordovia prefers well-lit open areas. Direct sunlight is not afraid of him, and in shaded places the grass can die.
The plant does not suffer from intense heat and severe frosts. In winter, it can withstand cold snap to -40 ° C without shelter. Drafts and strong gusts of wind are not afraid of him either. Tall plants should be planted near a support or tied up. Under their own weight, the stems sometimes droop or even fall to the ground.
The mordovian does not need watering. It continues to develop even in extreme heat and prolonged drought when the soil dries to dust. Fertilizing is recommended several times a year. In spring, planting is fertilized with deciduous humus or rotted manure. During flowering, the bushes are watered with a solution of mineral fertilizer with a high nitrogen content (ammonium nitrate).
To prevent abundant self-seeding, the blossoms of the mordovia are cut off before the seeds ripen. In autumn, it is necessary to cut the stems to the ground. Only roots winter, from which young shoots grow in early spring.
Mordovia is rarely damaged by plant diseases. Only on waterlogged soils does it suffer from root rot and leaf spotting. It is not possible to save the plantings, it is necessary to completely destroy them and treat the soil with fungicides. Parasites on the plant do not settle, so you do not have to take care of its protection from pests.
Honey Mordovia
Mordovia is a famous honey plant. Each inflorescence contains up to 20 mg of sugar. From 1 ha of flowering muzzle, bees are able to collect up to 1000 kg of honey (spherical muzzle). Other species produce an average of 300-500 kg of honey. The amount of nectar produced increases annually. It can stand out in any weather.
Mordovian nectar is part of the honey of herbs. It is distinguished by light yellow or amber color and high transparency. After sugaring, honey becomes lighter, even whitish. It has a delicate spicy aroma and delicate taste.
It is proved that the product has pronounced healing properties. It is used to strengthen immunity, fight hypotension and relieve nervous tension.
Beneficial features
In the grass, flowers and root of the muzzle, the alkaloid echinopsin is contained, which in its action is similar to strychnine. Until 1981, echinopsin preparations were used in official medicine to treat motor disorders associated with damage to the central or peripheral nervous system. Due to the high toxicity of the plant, it was no longer used in pharmacology, but the drug continues to be used in folk medicine. In addition to the specified alkaloid, mordovia contains flavonoids, essential oils, ascorbic acid, saponins, steroids and minerals.
During flowering, inflorescences and leaves are harvested. At the end of summer, ripened seeds are harvested, and in September-October, roots are dug up. All raw materials are dried outdoors under a canopy. Then it is cleaned in cloth or paper bags and stored at room temperature. The roots can be stored for up to two years, and the rest of the plant should be used for 12 months.
Decoctions, as well as alcohol and water infusions, are used internally to:
- get rid of a headache;
- restore reflex function;
- stop epileptic seizure;
- reduce hypotonic manifestations.
Fatty oil obtained from the fruit is applied to the skin to relieve inflammation, stop bleeding, fight bacterial infections and treat psoriasis. An important role is played by drugs in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. They inhibit the development of the disease.
It is important to be careful! Medicines based on mordovia can cause poisoning, so you need to take them with great care and only after consulting a specialist. With an overdose, muscle cramps and respiratory failure occur. It is strictly forbidden to use mordovia during pregnancy, as well as in the presence of allergies and asthma.
Using
Powerful foliage and beautiful blossoms of the mordovia can decorate any part of the garden. In nature, there is not much pure blue and blue, so do not give up the unpretentious mordovia. Fragrant flowers attract many beneficial insects to the site.
High prickly shoots are placed in the central part or in the background of the flower bed. In addition to it, lower flowering plants can be planted. Mordovia goes well with monarda, centranthus, poppies, lavender, flax, catnip and chamomiles.
Beautiful blue inflorescences are used for decoration of bouquets, as well as for composing dry compositions. Mordovia keeps its shape and rich colors well.
