Hedgehog

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Hedgehog (lat.sparganium) - plant for reservoirs; a genus of herbaceous plants of the Rogose family (lat. Typhaceae). Another name is the head. The genus includes 27 species, according to other sources only 7. In nature, headworms are found along the banks of rivers, reservoirs, lakes, as well as in swamps with stagnant and moderately flowing waters. The main area is Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Oceania. In culture, only two species are actively used - Simple or pop-up hedgehog (Latin Sparganium emersum) and Straight hedgehog (Latin Sparganium erectum).

Characteristics of culture

The hedgehog is represented by herbaceous plants no more than 1 m high, 30-50 cm submerged in water, with creeping powerful roots of two types (the first ones float in the water column, the second ones are attached to the bottom). Most species are equipped with long linear or narrow-linear, fleshy, sometimes triangular leaves, which reach 1-1, 2 cm in width and have a pronounced rich green vein. The stems of the headworms are simple, erect, often strongly branched. The flowers are rather small, making up dense capitate inflorescences, which, in turn, are collected in spherical cobs that form at the end of the stems. The fruits are spherical, outwardly reminiscent of hedgehogs, due to which the plant received such a name. All types of bedheads can boast fast growth.

Views

* Narrow-leaved hedgehog (lat. Sparganium angustifolium) - the species is represented by perennial herbaceous plants with a weak, strongly leafy stem, bearing linear, long, whole, alternate leaves. The inflorescences in the species under consideration are shortened, consist of 3-4 spherical heads. Fruits are spherical, yellowish-brown in color, harsh, with a constriction. Flowering occurs in mid-June - early July (European countries), in early June (southern Asian countries), the fruits ripen in late July - early August.

* Straight hedgehog (lat. Sparganium erectum) - the species is represented by perennial herbaceous plants with a height of over 1.2 m, common in European countries and the European part of Russia. Another name is branchy hedgehog. It has regular, linear, whole-edged foliage with light veins, the width of which varies from 0.4 to 1.5 cm. The inflorescences, as in the previous species, are shortened, rather branched, collected from one to four spherical heads. Flowers are partially submerged in water or raised above the surface. Fruits are prickly, tough, up to 1 cm long. The erectus erectus blooms in the second decade of June - the first decade of July, the fruits ripen in the third decade of July - the first decade of August.

* Simple hedgehog (lat. Sparganium emersum) - the species is represented by plants up to 0.5 m high with erect or floating stems, half submerged in water. Another name is pop-up headband. The leaves of the species under consideration are linear, long, alternately arranged, equipped with dark veins. Inflorescences, unlike the two previous types, are elongated, collected from three to five spherical heads. Flowers can float both on the surface of the water and rise above it. Fruits are prickly, spherical, tough, and have a constriction. The simple bloom in mid-June - early July, the fruits ripen in early August.

* Crowded hedgehog (Latin Sparganium glomeratum) - the species is represented by perennial herbaceous plants no more than 50 cm high with erect leafy stems bearing tongueless, alternate, linear, whole leaves, the width of which does not exceed 1-1, 2 cm. The inflorescences of the species in question are short, collected from one or two spherical heads, reaching a diameter of 2 cm. Flowers raised above the surface of the water, submerged in water or floating. Fruits, like other species, are hard, capitate, prickly, green in color. Blossoms crowded in mid-July - early August, the fruits ripen in early September.

* Cereal hedgehog (lat. Sparganium gramineum) - the species is represented by perennial herbaceous plants with long thin stems, half submerged in water. Another name is Frieze's headband. The stem bears pointed, linear, alternate, whole leaves, equipped with a noticeable vein at the bottom. The inflorescences are shortened, they can be branched or simple, collected from two or three spherical heads. Fruits are prickly, hard, capitate, green in color, later turn brown-black. Cerebral grass blooms in mid-June - early July, fruits ripen in early - mid-August.

Growing features

Bedheads prefer bodies of water with stagnant or moderately flowing waters. Shallow water is optimal. It is better to plant the culture in special containers filled with nutritious soil, which are subsequently immersed in water. The location is preferably sunny or semi-shaded with protection from strong winds that can break thin and weak stems. Care is simple, it consists in thinning and removing dead foliage. Bedheads grow very quickly; they should not be planted on small bodies of water. On artificial reservoirs, the bottom of which is covered with a film, it is also not necessary to plant, since the plants have a powerful root system that can damage the film.