The name of the horsetail grass is derived from "asking gold", and later it is called the horsetail, the continuation grass, the pen grass, the horse grass, the male and female grass, etc.
In some places, it is inaccurate to call the thorn grass "knotweed". Because in the field, horsetail grass and knotweed are two different weeds, but they both belong to the family Equisetidae weeds, and there are many similarities or commonalities in appearance characteristics and plant types, but there are still obvious differences.
Picture 01~02): Horsetail weeds in the field
For example, the summer branches of "Jiejiecao" are not as dense as those of "Wenjingcao", and the degree of vegetative growth and development is not as vigorous as that of Wenjingcao.
Some people say that the gold content in the plant is very high, and as long as there is a place where the grass grows and develops, there are a large number of gold mines. Are these claims reliable?
In this issue of pictures and texts, Qingjiang Crane will continue to pay attention to and chat with all of you and teachers about the related topics of farmland weeds "Ask Thorn", I hope you like and actively participate in interactive comments, forward and share this issue of pictures and texts.
Horsetail is a vicious weed in the farmland:
It is a perennial farmland herbaceous plant belonging to the family Equisetaceae.
Picture 03~04): "Knotweed" in the field
Its underground rhizomes are black-brown and the bulbs are rich in starch and can be dormant or sprout out to form new plants. Underground stems and bulbs are the main propagators for the spread and expansion of Vitex chinensis. The second is the spore spike of the horsetail.
There are two types of stems. One is the "spore stem" and the other is the vegetative stem. The spore stems stretch out in early spring and do not branch to form "spring branches", which are yellow-brown in color without leaf green and cannot carry out photosynthesis. Spore spikes are born at the tip of the stem, oblong, blunt, and have various sporangia on the edges.
The "summer branch" is a vegetative stem with a green color and many branches. The main stem has 5~12 ridges, elytra ovate, triangular, and the tip is black-brown.
The branches of the summer branch are rotated, in the fruit, there are 3~4 ridges, and the twigs are obliquely grown upwards to stretch out horizontally, forming an acute angle with the main stem, as if it is a work of art carefully carved by nature.
It often grows in warm and humid pine forest valleys, river bank slopes, and farmland slopes, which have very low requirements for soil fertility and have wide adaptability and drought resistance.
Picture 05~06): The spring branch of the horse
The leaves of Vitex arvensa have been degraded and cannot be photosynthesized, and the epidermis has a siliceous layer, which is difficult to control with ordinary herbicides, but the multi-compound herbicides with high activity and good systemic conductivity can effectively control the weeds of Vitex arvensa in the field.
How to quickly and accurately identify horsetail in the field:
First of all, we can make a preliminary judgment by looking at its appearance characteristics. The spring branches of horsetail are chlorophyll-free, yellowish-brown, blunt-headed "fleshy stems" with spore spikes. The vegetative stems of horsetail are green, the nodes have whorls and branches, and the middle of each node has whorls and vestiges, which are its unique identification signs.
Secondly, we can further confirm by observing the environment in which it grows. Horsetail likes to grow in moist environments, such as riversides, lakesides, ridges, etc., so it is likely that plants with similar characteristics are found in these places. Note the distinction from "knotted grass".
Picture 07~08): Xia Zhi of Wenjing
The medicinal value of the vitex weed is comparable to gold:
Although it is harmful to crops and can reduce the benefits of planting, it still has rich medicinal value.
According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", horsetail has the effects of clearing heat, diuretic, and relieving cough. In the "Collection of Materia Medica", it is said that the whole herb can be used as medicine when it is collected and dried in May ~ July. Bitter taste, cool, with heat, cool blood, cough, diuretic and other effects. It can be used for the treatment of diseases such as cough and asthma, urinary tract infection, blood in the stool and hemorrhoidal bleeding.
Modern medical research has also found that Wenjing is rich in flavonoids and a variety of trace elements, and has a variety of biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor. Therefore, it has broad application prospects in the field of medicine.
Picture 09~10): Spore spike of Vitex arvensis
"Golden Grass" asks Jing from "asking gold", and it is not reliable to find "gold" by asking Jingjing:
It is rumored on the Internet that vitex is an "indicator plant of gold", saying that as long as there is a place where vitex grows and develops, there will be gold, why is this?
It turns out that horsetail has a strong ability to absorb metal elements in the soil.
In March 1941, Time magazine published a news article about the search for gold with Wenjing:
It is about a Canadian prospector who found "gold" by burning the ashes of the horsetail. Because he found that the gold content in the burned horsetail was very high.
Later, during the gold rush, the American Mining Association also published such articles, saying that the horsetail weeds were the best companion in the search for gold. Therefore, they call it "Wenjin", "Golden Grass".
Picture 11~12): Horsetail weeds in the mountains
In fact, according to an article in the journal Geochemical Survey (1981), no significant gold content was found in the plants of the Weeda arseis, but a high concentration of arsenic was found. It seems that the "Golden Grass" does not "absorb gold", which is a bit disappointing.
However, it was found that the arsenic content near the gold mine was indeed high, and the arsenic could collect arsenic to grow and develop, while other weeds could not, which made the arsenic weed an indicator plant for "gold exploration".
However, it has also been found that the horsetail near the gold mine is growing very well. And where there is the growth and development of thorns, there is not necessarily gold.
Therefore, if you want to seek wealth, you still have to find the "God of Wealth" to be safe, and it is a bit difficult to ask Jing Zhen, which is very unreliable.
Picture 13~14): The spring branch of the horsetail
The words written at the end of the "Golden Grass" question:
Through today's discussion, we have a deeper understanding of Wenjing. This seemingly ordinary weed not only has unique biological characteristics, but also has rich medicinal properties. In the future, let us pay more attention to the plant world around us, discover their uniqueness, and jointly protect our beautiful earth.
Picture 15~16): Ask the field plants of Vitex