2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
An unpretentious biennial plant, the mullein dense-flowered in Germany, bears a more worthy and sonorous name - "royal candle". Its single tall stem really resembles a burning candle with its many flowers, which gradually bloom on the stem, quickly falling off. But its English name sounds like "grass torch". In the old days, its dried stem was impregnated with resin or wax and used as a torch to illuminate the premises
Distribution in nature
In the wild, the dense-flowered mullein can be found on the edges and dry meadows, in endless steppes, on wastelands, fallow lands and floodplain pebble-sandy deposits of Europe and Asia. It is often found in the chernozem zone of central Russia, but much less often in the non-chernozem zone. On fertile soils, the plant feels more at ease, delighting with high peduncles with large flowers.
Description
A biennial plant in the first year of its life forms only a basal rosette of elliptical-ovoid leaves with short petioles. The width of the leaves varies from 4 to 10 centimeters with a length of 10 to 40 centimeters. The mullein has a powerful taproot.
In the second year, a tall single stem appears, reaching up to two meters in height. It is covered with sessile descending ovoid leaves. The stem and, to a greater extent, the leaves are covered with hairy pubescence.
At the top of the stem are branching brushes of multi-flowered inflorescences up to 30 centimeters long. Inflorescences are collected from large bright yellow flowers with 5 petals. Flower corollas are almost flat, up to 3 centimeters in diameter.
The fruits look like round-ovoid capsules, inside which are numerous seeds.
Growing
Dense-flowered mullein looks attractive throughout the summer season. It is grown as a biennial.
The mullein loves fertile soils, on which it develops better and gives larger flowers.
Prefers sunny places, but tolerant of light shading. Easily tolerates dry periods.
The mullein is propagated by sowing seeds in May-June, by sowing directly into open ground at the place of permanent cultivation. In the first year, the plant forms a rosette of large pubescent leaves, and shows its large yellow flowers to the world the next year. If you remove the faded inflorescences, then the plant can be preserved for the third year of life. If the mullein is grown as a biennial plant, then after flowering the plants are removed.
Use in the garden
The plant looks especially impressive in July-August, when its large yellow flowers begin to imitate a burning candle, gradually blooming from the lower flowers and reaching the very crown. But in other periods of the summer cottage, its large tomentose leaves attract attention.
The tall mullein is used in the curbs and in the background of mixborders. You can plant it along fences, walls of houses and outbuildings, illuminated by the sun. Single plantings of a mullein look very decorative against the background of a green lawn or large stones.
Healing action
Preparations based on dense-flowered mullein have emollient, expectorant, analgesic, and enveloping effects. They help relieve spasm of smooth muscles of internal organs.
For the manufacture of medicines, flower corollas with stamens are used, freeing from sepals, as well as plant roots. They are used to prepare infusions and decoctions, vodka infusions, and tea. Infusion of flower corollas with honey is drunk as a sedative at night.
Collection and procurement
When collecting, drying and storing the corolla of flowers with stamens, one must be able to preserve the golden color of the flowers. Brown flowers lose their healing properties significantly. Dried flowers absorb moisture very easily, so they must be stored in a tightly closed container.
Roots are dug out of plants of the first year of life in late autumn, and of the second year of life in early spring. Dried as usual, in the shade of awnings or in well-ventilated areas.
Contraindications: if you do not exceed the dosage, then you can not be afraid of side effects.
Recommended:
Mealy Mullein
Mealy mullein is one of the plants of the family called norichnikovye, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Verbascum lychnitis L. As for the name of the mealy mullein family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Scrophulariaceae Juss.
Common Mullein
Common mullein is included in the number of plants of the family called norichnikovye, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Verbascum thapsus L. As for the name of the common mullein family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Mullein Purple
Mullein purple is one of the plants of the family called norichnikovye, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Vebroscum phoeniceum L. As for the name of the purple mullein family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Scrophulariaceae Juss.
Egeria Dense
Egeria dense often also called Elodea dense, as well as Brazilian Elodea and large-flowered Elodea. In Latin, the name of this plant can sound like this: Egeria densa, Elodea densa, Anacharis densa. This plant should be classified as Vodokrasovye.
Egeria Dense - Water Beauty
Egeria dense is often called Brazilian, dense, and also large-flowered Elodea. In nature, it is found mainly in South America - in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. This beauty also took root well in a number of subtropical and moderately warm regions - in North America, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Asia. In our latitudes, dense egeria can only be used as a seasonal plant, sending it to winter in aquariums
