Spring White Flower (lat.Leucojum Vernum)

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

Spring white flower (lat. Leucojum vernum) - a representative of the genus Belotsvetnik of the Amaryllis family. Typical habitats in nature are wet meadows and fields, forest edges, mountain slopes, beech forests, taiga zones. It is found in European countries (more often located in the southern and central parts) and in the Carpathians (mountain system in Eastern Europe). Today it is actively cultivated in Russia and Holland.

Characteristics of culture

Spring white flower is represented by perennial herbaceous plants belonging to the category of bulbous plants. It is characterized by a perennial bulb, which is endowed with numerous tips and light brown scales. The shape of the bulb is ovoid, with a diameter of no more than 3 cm. The roots in the process are formed thickened, dying off does not occur completely. The foliage of the species under consideration is basal, linear, narrow, up to 15 cm long, formed simultaneously with the flowers.

The flowers are white, fragrant, with a wide bell-shaped, crownless perianth, consisting of six sepals, which are crowned with a green or yellow speck at the top. The flowers are located on leafless, flattened, hollow peduncles no more than 30 cm long. Blossoming of the spring white flower occurs in mid-April - early May, depending on the climate. For example, in Central Russia, flowering occurs much later than the specified period.

The fruits are represented by three-celled spherical capsules that contain a huge number of small seeds. Seed ripening occurs in the second or third decade of June. It is important to sow seeds immediately after harvest, as they die during long-term storage. Sowing can be carried out in seedling boxes or directly into the soil, but in winter it is necessary to provide good shelter, for example, with sawdust or dry fallen leaves.

Application of culture

Spring white flower is one of the representatives of the genus, which is used in folk medicine. For medicinal purposes, the aerial part of the plant is used - stems, foliage, flowers. They are harvested in dry weather during the flowering phase. It has been proven that it is at this moment that plants gain the maximum amount of biologically active substances capable of "cutting down" some diseases. The aerial part contains alkaloids, flavonoids, carotenoids, lectins and other substances.

Spring white flower, or rather a tincture from it, is used for severe cough (it acts as a powerful expectorant), diseases of the nervous system, disorders of the psychoemotional state (including a state of acute psychosis), disorders of body sensitivity and malfunctions of the musculoskeletal system.

It is important to remember that the spring white flower contains poisonous substances, therefore, it is necessary to use medicines from it with extreme caution and only on the recommendation of a doctor. Decoctions and tinctures of the herb are contraindicated in epilepsy (including epileptic activity), heart disease, hyperkinesis and bronchial asthma.

Spring white flower is also used in ornamental gardening. It fits perfectly into group spring compositions, it is also suitable for decorating rockeries and alpine hills, but taking into account the fact that in summer it will be replaced by brighter flower crops that will hide withered foliage.