2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Water walnut is called in different ways: chillim, rogulnik, damn nut and water chestnut. The plant got its name "roguelnik" due to the peculiarities of the structure of its fruits - on their mature drupes one can see curved hard outgrowths resembling horns in shape. The thorny shells of this bizarre plant were found even in the excavations of the interglacial period, respectively, mankind has known it since ancient times
Getting to know the plant
Water walnut belongs to the genus of flowering aquatic plants and belongs to the Derbennikovye family. Once this plant was attributed to a separate family Water-walnut or Rogulicaceae - now it is considered as a monotypic subfamily called Trapoideae.
An unusual plant lives in the water. Flexible stems floating in it, like anchors, are attached to the bottom with the help of last year's nuts. If the water level rises, the water nut, having easily detached itself from the ground, sets off for free swimming until it once again reaches shallow water and gains a foothold there.
The whimsical leaves of the water walnut resemble birch leaves in appearance and, being arranged in a mosaic pattern, due to petioles of various lengths, form rosettes. As a result of such their peculiarities, stars resembling openwork napkins can be seen on the water surface.
Inside the drupes, there are delicious white seeds with four curved hard horns, 2 - 2.5 cm in size.
Water walnut grows in lakes, backwaters, slow flowing rivers, stagnant waters, and can even form thickets. You can meet him in Southeast Asia, Europe, tropical Africa. In China and India, this plant is specially cultivated in swamps and lakes. Currently, it is listed in the Red Book of Russia, as it is on the verge of extinction. It is surprising that the seeds of this plant do not lose their germination for 40-50 years.
Useful properties of water walnut and its uses
All parts of the water nut contain flavonoids, carbohydrates, triterpenoids, various phenolic and nitrogenous compounds, vitamins, tannins and mineral salts. Fruits contain 52% starch, 7.5% fat, 3% sugar, 15% proteins, carbohydrates and a rich set of trace elements and vitamins. The calorie content of the fruit is 200 kcal.
Water walnut seeds are incredibly tasty and healthy due to the huge amount of various nutrients they contain. History even knows cases when this plant saved people from starvation. It can be eaten boiled with salt or raw. The baked fruit tastes like roasted chestnuts. In addition, cereals and flour, all kinds of nutritious dishes and even confectionery are made from water walnuts. And in a number of Asian countries, unusual fruits (fried and slightly salted) are served as a snack.
Water walnut is also used in medicine. It is included in the remedy for atherosclerosis - trapazid. Fresh, the miracle fruit is used in Japanese, Chinese and Tibetan medicine for dyspepsia, renal diseases, impotence, as well as a diuretic and general tonic. And in China and India, all parts of the extraordinary plant are used as a choleretic, diaphoretic, sedative, astringent, tonic, antispasmodic and fixing agent.
Fresh juice of flowers and leaves, besides being a good remedy for treating eye diseases, also serves as an antiseptic for various tumors, leucorrhoea, gonorrhea, as well as for the bites of almost any insect and snake. Also, water walnut exhibits a pronounced antiviral effect and, in adverse conditions, significantly increases the body's resistance.
How to plant and grow
It is enough to throw the nuts into the pond to the desired depth. The reservoir should be frost-free, with a fairly thick layer of good fertile soil. If there is no soil in the reservoir, the nuts, having previously been planted in containers, are drowned with them. You can also sow nuts in small pots filled with silt, and then place them in the warmest part of the reservoir to a depth of 10-15 cm. Seed germination and plant development begins when the water warms up to 25-30 degrees. As soon as floating leaves appear on the grown specimens, the plants are moved to a depth of 1 m. In winter, nuts can be stored in a jar of water in the refrigerator, with the onset of spring they will begin to germinate anyway.
Attention should be paid to the fact that there are no pond snails and coils in the reservoir chosen for placing the water nut - these large mollusks not without pleasure feast on its young leaves.
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