Sunflower(Latin name: Portulaca grandiflora), is also known as pine-leaf peony, semi-branched lotus, gradually becoming a perennial flower in the purslane family (Purslane), and widely cultivated as an annual. It Likes warm, sunny and dry environments, and blooms on sunny days, closes on early, late and cloudy days, so it has the name of sunflower, noon flowers.
Sunflower morphological characteristics
Herbs annual, 10-30 cm high. Stems prostrate or obliquely ascending, purplish red, much branched, tufted at nodes. Leaves densely branched, lower, irregularly alternate, slender, cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved, 1 -- 2.5 cm long, 2 -- 3 mm in diam., apex obtuse, glabrous; Petioles very short or subsessile, axils of leaves often a clump of white villous hairs. Flowers are solitary or several clustered branches, 2.5-4 cm in diameter, open on day and close at night; Style subequal to stamen, stigma 5-9 lobed, linear. Capsule subellipsoid, cap cleft; Seeds small, numerous, round, kidney-shaped, less than 1 mm in diameter, leaden, taupe or grayish black, pearly shiny, nodular convex on the surface. Flowering period is from June to September, and fruiting period is from August to November.
Sunflower growth habit and growing environment and distribution
Sunflower likes a warm, sunny environment and does not grow well in dark and humid places，which is tolerant to poor soils, generally adapted, especially for sandy soils with good drainage. Flowering from May to November, the lingnan area blooms all year round.
Sunflower for annual succulent grass flowers. The plant is 12 ~ 15 cm high, stem is round, prostrate on the ground, the apex of the upward oblique extension, branching more, slightly with zhao color, smooth. Flowers bloom continuously from June to September, single or several flowers clustered at the top of the branches. Stem 3 ~ 4 cm. There are double and single petals. Because it has the habit of seeing the sun bloom. Early, late and cloudy day flowers close stage. The stronger the sun, the better the flowers. So there is the name of sunflower, noon flowers.South America, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and other places. It is grown all over China， mostly on hillsides and in fields. Distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places.
Sunflower efficacy and role
It has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxification, activating blood and removing blood stasis, relieving swelling and pain, anti-cancer and so on. Jiang Yi's Collection of Medicinal Herbs in the Mirror records that half a lotus dissolves the immortal plant of snake injury. In addition to treating snake bite, it is also used to treat tumors and has certain curative effects. According to the compendium of Corrected Materia Medica, "this herb has purple and white flowers, purplish red grass, pair of leaves, used in July and August". For sore throat, scalds, bleeding from cuts and sores. Sore throat, tamping juice gargle, other tamping paste external application.
Sunflower cultivation
To propagate by sowing or cutting. Spring, summer and autumn can be sown. When the temperature was above 20℃, the seeds germinated and germinated about 10 days after sowing. Cover soil should be thin, if you do not cover soil, it can also grow. The seedlings were planted in sections 5×6 cm apart. Liquid fertilizer should be applied several times. Flowering can be done in about 20 days above 15℃. Cutting propagation is often used for double petals variety, in the summer it will be cut down the branch tip as a cuttings, wilted stem can also be used, inserted alive after the emergence of bud. Transplanted plants do not need soil and do not need regular watering during the growing period. Fruit ripeness is cracked, the seed is easy to scatter, and needs to harvest in time.
Sunflower flower language
Sunflower language: silent love, bright, warm, loyal, sunshine, positive.