2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Prunella - winter-hardy flowering perennial from the Yasnotkovye family. The second name of the plant is chernogolovka.
Description
Prunella is a spectacular perennial with creeping rhizomes and low, erect, faceted stems. Most often, the height of this plant is in the range from ten centimeters to half a meter.
Whole prunella leaves have jagged edges. They are all opposite and alternate in nodules crosswise, and the leaf petioles, as well as the reverse sides of the leaf plates, are in most cases hairy.
Purple, red, pink, blue, white, purple or blue flowers of this beauty gather in incredibly attractive capitate inflorescences. However, sometimes these inflorescences can be spike-shaped. As for the color of the bracts and prunella cups, it is almost always dark purple. And the fruits of prunella look like shiny triangular egg-shaped nuts.
Where grows
Most often, prunella can be seen growing in fairly large groups in wastelands, as well as in meadows and forest edges. As for the geography of its distribution, this beauty can easily be found in Russia, India, Iran, Australia, North Africa, Asia Minor, Japan, Mongolia, China and North America.
Usage
Some varieties of prunella are actively used in the design of rock gardens, mixborders and flower beds - the highest decorative qualities of this beauty long ago turned her into the favorite of many gardeners. And the bitter leaves of this plant can be added to salads, but in small quantities. Also, prunella is very willingly used for food by the larvae of some species of butterflies.
In folk medicine, prunella is used quite successfully as a powerful antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent, and preparations made on its basis help perfectly cope with poisoning. Due to its relatively high content of vitamin C, prunella is considered a real find for colds, as well as an excellent hemostatic agent, in addition, the study of the antitumor properties of prunella made it possible to establish that the carophyllin and ursolic acid contained in it boast the ability to inhibit the growth and subsequent spread of a wide variety of cancers. By the way, even the most ancient tribes of Indians who lived in North America, or, to be more precise, on its northwestern coast, the Indians very actively used the juice of this beauty to treat inflammation, cuts and abscesses, knew about the healing properties of prunella. Prunella also found its application in Chinese medicine - there it is also considered a rather valuable medicine. However, it is still important not to forget that this plant is poisonous!
Growing and caring
Planting prunella is ideally recommended in sunny or slightly shaded areas with moderately moist garden soils. This beautiful plant is quite unpretentious to care for, in addition, it boasts a very impressive winter hardiness and shade tolerance.
Prunella is propagated by dividing the bushes, which is produced either in the spring or towards the end of summer. And in culture, quite often they also resort to reproduction with the help of seeds. At the same time, one should not discount the fact that this plant is endowed with the ability to weed and form thickets, so it is possible that in some cases it will be necessary to limit its excessive distribution.
