Cephalophora

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

Cephalophora (lat. Cephalophora) - an annual plant of the Asteraceae family, or Compositae. The genus of the plant is considered to be Central America. In nature, cephalophora is found in mountainous subtropical regions. It is widely cultivated in America, Western Europe, Central Asia and in the southern zone of Russia. In the Urals and Siberia, cephalophora are cultivated on private household plots as a spicy aromatic plant.

Characteristics of culture

Cephalophora is an annual herb up to 75 cm high with a highly branched taproot that goes deep into the soil. Leaves are dark green, lanceolate, sparsely toothed or whole-edged, alternate, pubescent with small tomentose hairs, covered with small-dotted glands, have no petioles. The flowers are small, yellow in color, collected in single capitate spherical inflorescences. The fruit is a dark brown achene, up to 1.5 mm long.

The subtleties of growing

The cephalophora does not have any special requirements for soil conditions, but for its cultivation it is recommended to allocate areas with fertile, loose, light, moderately moist, neutral soils. The location is sunny, openwork shade will not interfere with the normal development of culture. Cephalophora loves space, in free areas the bushes look more magnificent, voluminous and attractive. Cephalophora blooms in June - July, usually within 25-35 days.

The culture is propagated by seeds. Seed germination lasts 4-5 years. Seeds ripen in large quantities in late August - early September. Seeds are sown directly into open ground, the seedling method is not prohibited. The optimal sowing time is the beginning of May. The seeding depth is 0.2-0.5 cm. Seedlings appear a week after sowing. Young plants cannot withstand even short-term frosts, therefore they need shelter at night. For adult cephalophores, nighttime cold snaps will not do any harm. With the appearance of 1-2 true leaves on the seedlings, the crops are thinned out, leaving a distance of 30-40 cm between the plants.

Harvesting

Cephalophores are harvested during the period of mass flowering. For medicinal and food purposes, inflorescences, stems and leaves are harvested. Plants are cut at a height of 10-15 cm. The workpieces are dried in a suspended state in a well-ventilated room, protected from direct sunlight, and then placed in a paper bag, after grinding. Cephalophora inflorescences are stored separately.

Application

Cephalophora is widely used in cooking, folk medicine and ornamental gardening. In addition, dry inflorescences are used to create winter bouquets. The aerial part of the cephalophora has a pleasant aroma of fresh strawberries, which is associated with the presence of fragrant essential oil in plants.

Cephalophora has a beneficial effect on metabolism, therefore it is often used for the manufacture of various medicinal balms. In cooking, plants are used to prepare first and second courses, salads and flavoring alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. In small quantities, cephalophora is added to baked goods and flour confectionery, marinades and sauces.