2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Gagea (lat. Gagea) - shade-tolerant perennial from the Liliaceae family. The second name is goose onion, and this name is due to an obvious indifference to the plant of wild geese.
Description
Gagea is a bulbous plant with a height of three centimeters to half a meter maximum. Most often, a given plant has only one bulb, but quite often several daughter bulbs are formed on it, which are connected to the mother bulb with the help of stolons.
Also, some varieties of goose onions can boast of the presence of two types of roots: in the first case, the roots go vertically downward directly from the middle of the bottom, and in the second they first go down from the edge of the bottom, then horizontally and already upward (such roots tightly braid the bulbs, forming around they are something like protective capsules).
There are one or two basal leaves in a goose onion: they are all flat, rather long and narrow, and their height almost always exceeds the height of luxurious inflorescences. As for the peduncles, they usually have from one to ten leaves. And for the small bulbs of this plant, an oblong-ovoid shape is characteristic.
Umbellate inflorescences are formed by medium-sized, star-shaped flowers of yellow color. Simple corolla-shaped perianths are formed by six leaves arranged in two circles, and each flower also has six stamens. These flowers are pollinated by insects - they are attracted by the nectar accumulating between the tepals and the bases of the staminate filaments. By the way, the aboveground parts of plants die off soon after flowering (as for flowering, it usually occurs in April or May). And the fruits of goose onions look like unpretentious boxes.
Currently, this genus has about two hundred and fifty species, and almost all of them are ephemeroids.
Where grows
The homeland of the goose onion is considered to be European deciduous forests, and in the territory of the former USSR it can be found mainly in Central Asia or the Caucasus. This plant is quite widespread in the Eurasian temperate regions, as well as in the North African territories.
Usage
The ability to form thick, wide carpets allows goose onions to be used quite successfully in landscape design - this plant will look great both on its own and in composition with many other plants.
Quite widely, goose onions are also used in folk medicine - they will serve well in the treatment of dropsy, and a decoction of bulbs in milk is considered an excellent wound healing and soothing agent. You can safely lubricate the bites of various insects with goose juice, and in a grated or crushed form, it is tied to poorly healing sores or causing a lot of trouble foci of inflammation.
And since the goose onion is also an edible plant, it can be safely added to a wide variety of salads or soups. In addition, it will be a great addition to all kinds of spicy foods. By the way, previously they also ate boiled goose onions!
Growing and caring
It is recommended to plant goose onions in moderately moist soils, in shaded areas located under the canopy of trees. However, it is important not to forget that in full shade the eider may not bloom at all, so the measure is good in everything. This plant needs moderate moisture, and the goose onion prefers garden and well-drained soils. In addition, it boasts quite impressive winter hardiness.
Goose onions are usually propagated with the help of freshly harvested seeds or bulbs at the end of the summer season.
