2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Finger rhubarb (lat. Rheum palmatum) - herbaceous perennial of the genus Rhubarb of the Buckwheat family. Like its closest relative, medicinal rhubarb, it lives in nature on the territory of the People's Republic of China. Nowadays it is cultivated both at home and in Russia, but to a greater extent in Siberia. Also plantations with finger rhubarb can be found in Ukraine and Belarus.
From the history
It should be noted that finger rhubarb has won a firm place in folk medicine. It is difficult to imagine, but they learned about its healing properties more than two thousand years ago. It was then that rhubarb came to European countries and quickly gained popularity among folk healers. It was used to eliminate a number of diseases, including malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the gallbladder, anemia, and even tuberculosis.
Characteristics of culture
Finger rhubarb is represented by perennial herbaceous plants equipped with a straight, slightly branched, hollow stem, reaching a height of 2-3 m. The rhizome, in turn, is thickened, shortened, brown, has several fleshy adventitious roots. Basal foliage is large, seven-lobed, wide, ovoid, sitting on long semi-cylindrical petioles of reddish color. Stem foliage is small, ovoid, equipped with dryish bells that form during growth at the very base.
The flowers are small, inconspicuous, regular in shape, endowed with a corolla-shaped perianth of a cream, reddish or pinkish hue, collected in a multi-flowered dense inflorescence that looks like a panicle. Flowering occurs in early summer, usually in the first decade of June, but may vary depending on climatic conditions. The fruit is represented by red-brown nuts, which reaches a length of 10 cm. It ripens immediately after flowering, approximately in the third decade of July - the first decade of August.
Growing features
Finger rhubarb is often called a weed, and it is completely in vain. It carries a lot of useful properties, moreover, the plant is suitable for medicinal, culinary and cosmetic purposes. The species in question cannot be classified as unpretentious plants; it makes certain requirements both to soil conditions and to its location.
It is advisable to plant it in areas with fertile, moderately moist and loose soil. Swampy, heavy and clayey soils are not suitable for crops. Whereas the location is preferably sunny, open, but protected from cold winds, the stem of finger rhubarb is rather fragile, since it is hollow inside.
Rhubarb is propagated by sowing seeds or vegetatively. It should be noted that the species actively reproduces by self-seeding, therefore, it should be contained by removing unnecessary specimens, otherwise it will fill large territories. It is recommended to sow in rows before winter, leaving a distance between them equal to at least 70-80 cm, the culture will not tolerate thickened plantings.
Seedlings of finger rhubarb are formed together in spring. In the first year of life, plants form a small leaf mass, which is limited to only four leaves. In the second year, a huge number of leaves are formed, however, active and rapid growth is not observed. Flowering occurs only in the third year, then the first fruits appear, which are subsequently self-sown.
Application
Finger rhubarb contains a huge number of useful substances, including pectins, resins, vitamins, organic acids, etc. Therefore, the plant is used in folk medicine, it has medicinal and cosmetic properties. Rhubarb, as already mentioned, is also used in cooking. Young petioles and leaves are included in vegetable salads, and they are also used to make jelly, jam, compote and soups.
In folk medicine, palm rhubarb is used as a strengthening agent, it is effective in combating malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammatory diseases, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, skin diseases (for example, psoriasis), cholecystitis, arthritis, furunculosis, etc. Also rhubarb infusions palmate is prescribed as a laxative, because it cleans the intestines well from accumulated deposits.
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