First, the botanical characteristics of the red leaf
1. Name and classification status
Akatsuki is the official middle name, which comes from the "Seed Plant Name"; other names include wild loofah, wild melon, earth melon, etc.; in plant taxonomy, it belongs to the perennial climbing herb vine of the genus Akagi in the family Cucurbitaceae.
2, distribution and growth environment
It is mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China and Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other places; it usually grows in hillside forests, grasses, river valleys, and wet forest edges, and usually grows in pieces.
3, appearance characteristics
It is a perennial climbing herbaceous vine, the whole plant has yellow-white long hard hairs, tubers yellow-brown or yellow; the stem is thick, the branches are few, and the surface has longitudinal edges; the tendrils are single, opposite to the leaves; the single leaves are alternate, the petioles are slightly thicker, 2-6 cm long; the leaves are membranous, broad ovate heart-shaped, the leaf edges are shallowly wavy, there are teeth of different sizes, the two sides are rough, the apex is pointed, and the base is curved;
Hermaphroditic; male flowers have solitary leaf axils, no bracts, slender peduncles, 5 lobes of calyxes, lobes linear lanceolate, upper folds, yellow corolla, bell-shaped, 5 deep lobes, long round lobes, 5 stamens; the peduncles of females are thick, solitary, calyxes and corolla similar to male flowers; flowering in June-August;
The fruit is ovate oblong, 4–5 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter, with a residual column base at the top, a slightly narrower base, 10 inconspicuous longitudinal stripes on the surface, green before ripening, orange-red or reddish brown after ripening, shiny and sparsely hairy, ovate seeds, black, and the fruit ripens in August-October.
Second, the main use of Akatsuki
First, the medicinal use of the fruit and roots of the red leaf. Its fruit is called red leaf or leaf in traditional Chinese medicine, which is a ripe and dried fruit picked in autumn, which has the effect of rational qi, blood invigorating, expectorant and dampness according to the data, and mainly contains active ingredients such as saponins;
The root has the effect of activating blood and removing stasis, clearing heat and detoxification, and passing milk. Please follow your doctor's advice when using medicines.
Second, the red leaf belongs to the vine plant, its vine stem is long, usually climbing other things grow upwards, the flowers are yellow, the fruit is red after ripening, it has a certain ornamental value, and can be used as a trellis climbing plant cultivation application.
The above is for personal reference only.
(Image quoted from the Internet)