Huxiang Natural Calendar 丨 Summer Flowers Brilliant (29) As soon as this flower comes out, mosquitoes and flies retreat

Huxiang Natural Calendar 丨 Summer Flowers Brilliant (29) As soon as this flower comes out, mosquitoes and flies retreat

Tuesday, June 29, 2021 Summer Solstice 9th

In the world of flowers and flowers in summer, there are colorful and dazzling moons, durian flowers, cannabis, etc., jasmine, gardenia, magnolia and other fragrant and fragrant flowers, there are also some flowers that are not stunning and not fragrant, quietly budding, low-key blooming, such as the stars that dot the night sky, you may not pay attention to it, but it is part of the brilliant starry sky.

Houttuynia blooms in this state. Its flowers are beautiful and simple, four white petals, the posture is lightly dotted in the green leaves, from a distance, a bit of "snow flying in the green forest" feeling, to the hot summer to bring a little cool. "Close play" is not as good as "far view", houttuynia flowers and houttuynia leaves, because of the content of "houttuynin", emitting a special fishy smell. On closer inspection, its four white "petals" are actually total bracts, and the yellow-green "flower buds" that rise high in the center of the flower are the real spike-like inflorescences.

Houttuynia flowers are not necessarily of concern, but the name of Houttuynia cordata is known in southern China, because in the south, people have a very long history of eating Houttuynia cordata. Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Gou of Yue became a prisoner of King Wu, and finally returned to the country, but suffered a rare famine in the first year of his return. Gou Jian personally went up the mountain to find edible wild vegetables, and after three poisonings, he found a long, long, edible grass. After that, the whole country relied on this small wild vegetable to get through the difficulties. Everyone called this wild vegetable "hungry vegetable", and later changed it to "bracken", and because this wild vegetable has a fishy smell, the people often call it houttuynia cordata. To this day, in Shaoxing, the former capital of the Yue Kingdom, there is also a "Xuan Mountain".

This fishy smell is not good, but it is very practical. In the living room, two or three pots of houttuynia can make mosquitoes and flies retreat, and the insect repellent effect is outstanding.

【Small business card】

Houttuynia cordata, a perennial herb of the family Triogycae, also known as orthodontic root, dog heart grass and so on. Its stems are flattened and cylindrical, twisted and slender; the surface is reddish brown to yellowish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles or fine grooves; the leaves are extremely wrinkled and curled, slightly fishy, and the flowering period is from May to August.

Houttuynia cordata avoid drought, hardiness, fear of strong light, the province below 1800 meters above sea level are distributed, mainly growing in lakes, rivers or long-term water on the roadside, is an excellent green plant; high medicinal value, can also be used as food.

Text/Peng Yahui Photo/Hunan Forestry Bureau Provided Design/Chen Chunyuan Think Tank/Moucun Coordinator/Zhou Yuegui

[Editor-in-charge: Huang Lifei]

[Source: Hunan Daily· New Hunan Client]