Huxiang natural calendar丨This bamboo is not a bamboo, and the red fruits are full of branches
Friday December 3, 2021 Light Snow 12th
In the depressed winter, seeing red fruits always makes people have a lot of surprises. Nantianzhu is one of the sources of surprises.
When large bunches of red agate-like berries form a red waterfall that breaks into the horizon, the eight achievements are that you meet the Southern Heavenly Bamboo. From the beginning of summer, small green fruit balls climb the branches; in the autumn, they gradually turn red, until the winter is getting deeper, they are still hanging steadily on the branches, and they are more and more red, and the strength interprets the word "enduring".
Probably because of this, Nantian bamboo is given the meaning of "auspicious and longevity", in the art of flower arrangement, the southern heaven bamboo fruit branches are inserted together with the blooming plum and pine branches, also known as the "three friends of the cold year", symbolizing the blessings of blessing, Lu, shou, joy and wealth. However, the Nantian bamboo in this "Three Friends of the Cold Year" belongs to the barberry family and has little to do with the bamboo of the grass family.
Such a longevity fruit, eating it can prolong life? In fact, not only can't, but it can also be fatal. The beautiful and attractive nantian bamboo fruit is full of toxic alkaloids, and can also produce hydrocyanic acid, which is double-toxic, and a large amount of intake does not rule out the possibility of death. It is said that the taste of the fruit is quite bad, and it generally does not make people and mammals such as cats, dogs, and mice have the courage to take risks. Sure enough, in nature, the more beautiful things are, the more careful they are.
But birds don't seem to be bound by this law. For example, they can safely eat the fruit of the Southern Heavenly Bamboo and help the Southern Heavenly Bamboo spread the seeds by the way.
As a native plant with high appearance and easy to feed, Nantianzhu has long become a gardening darling. Many variants have been developed and efforts are made to continuously amplify their beauty. In recent years, foreign countries have cultivated the "Flame South Heavenly Bamboo", and after entering the winter, the leaves of the plant are even red as flames, and they shine with the fruit.
To say a cold knowledge, the leaves of Nan tianzhu are the most complex of Hunan plants, ranging from three to four pinnate compound leaves. When you see Nan Tianzhu, in addition to appreciating the fruit, you may wish to start from the total petiole on the branch and count how many branches and leaflets there are on a compound leaf.
【Small business card】
Southern Sky Bamboo, southern sky bamboo of the family Barberry family is an evergreen small shrub. The stem is often clustered and less branched, 1 to 3 m tall, smooth and glabrous, the young branches are often red and gray when old; the leaves are alternate, three pinnate compound leaves; the conical inflorescence is erect, 20 to 35 cm long, the flowers are small, white, and aromatic; the berries are spherical, 5 to 8 mm in diameter, bright red when ripe, thin orange-red; the seeds are flat and round. The flowering period is from March to June and the fruiting period is from May to December.
It grows mainly in the wild at altitudes below 1200 m in montane forests next to ditches, roadsides and shrublands. In garden applications, common cultivation variants of Jade Fruit Southern Heavenly Bamboo, white fruit; cotton silk Southern Heavenly Bamboo, leaf color as fine as silk; purple fruit Southern Heavenly Bamboo, fruit purple; round leaf Southern Heavenly Bamboo, round leaves.
Text/Peng Yahui Photo/Chili Tian Chao Design/Zhou Yuan Think Tank/Yu Xunlin Coordinator/Zhou Yuegui Special Support/Hunan Forestry Bureau
[Editor-in-charge: Cao Xian]
[Source: Hunan Daily· New Hunan Client]