Some of the most beautiful forest plants - lily of the valley.Description of delicate white flower common in poets and novelists, he is painted on the canvases of artists.It has a lot of people's names: bunny ears, cleft violet, a silversmith.The flower grows in deciduous and pine forests, creating a vast white-green fields during the flowering in May.
lilies.Description of species
Forest lily is a perennial herb.The area of its growth - it's almost the entire territory of Europe, Siberia, the Far East, as well as the Japanese islands.However, some experts as the Japanese and Far Eastern flowers to other subspecies.
According to botanical classification of lily of the valley belongs to a class of monocots, and the family of the lily (Convallaria belonged to it earlier) has recently been replaced by a family of asparagus.The main reason - the fruit of the flower mismatch characteristic mean for the family.In true lily fruit - capsule, while the lily of the valley - berry.
Reproduction in nature
its reproduction occurs via the root system.The roots are very thin and long enough.With great ability to branch during growth, the root system is capable of Konvaliya quickly enough from one bush planted to form an entire meadow.At the same time, where growing lily of the valley, there are practically no other herbaceous plants, as it replaces them completely.The life expectancy of more than forty years.
From the root starts to grow escape of the two leaves, made into a wall outlet.Leaflets are elongated and pointed at the tips, succulent, bright green.At the root of framed small scales.In the first year after the appearance of the leaves of flowering does not happen.The flower appears only on the second or even third year.
Wonderful flowers
lilies have pale white, fragrant flowers.There are, depending on the place of growth in May or June.At the beginning of the outlet sheet starts to grow thin green arrow - spike.It gradually appear small green buds that form a loose flower one-sided brush.Themselves flowers are in the shape of a bell shestizubchatogo white.The plant blooms for a long time - 2-3 weeks.After flowering, tied off in the form of orange-red berries.They reach full maturity by early September.The berries are poisonous lily of the valley.
The variety
Konvaliya is quite popular garden flower.Cultivate it even in the 16th century and has since displayed a lot of varieties.They are rich in color flower, for example, grade Rosea has delicate pink bell, and the number of flowers per spike, for example, varieties Flore Plena their very large number.In addition, there are lilies, which are beautiful even after flowering.For example, Convallária Albostriata has large green leaves with white veins.They are widely used for the decoration of beds, which are located in the shadow.
How to grow it in your own garden?
in nature grow lilies in the forest, glades and clearings.How to grow a lily on his plot?The landing of this flower is produced in the fall, but can be planted in the spring.For planting choose a shaded area of the garden.Since flower propagated using root system, this method is preferable.However, seating is permitted by a flower and seed.
Where grows lily?It can grow in almost any soil, but in wetlands is hard to receive.When planting is taken into account and the depth of embedment process roots: it should not exceed three centimeters.It is also not recommended to thicken landing - it can cause seedlings botrytis.
plant care simple.Lilies of the valley, the description of which characterizes them as shade-tolerant plants and morozoustochivye, like abundant watering and periodic fertilization.It must be remembered that Konvaliya able to multiply rapidly.Therefore, plantation, lily of the valley where it grows, always be cleaned and thinning at least 1 time in 2 or 3 years.Otherwise, you may lose bloom.
Description pharmaceutical properties
Lily is a medicinal plant.In all of its parts contained a large amount of cardiac glycosides, which are characterized by high cardiac and biochemical activity.Basically it konvallotoksin and konvallozid.Besides good therapeutic properties, they are unstable, therefore, do not accumulate in organs and tissues.Therefore, the extracts obtained in the processing of vegetable raw materials used in pharmaceuticals for the treatment of heart disease.In addition, Konvaliya has a good calming effect, so often administered in herbal teas combined with valerian, motherwort, hawthorn, and their analogues.
How to collect and dry it a herb?
Lilies of the Valley, a description of pharmaceutical properties which confirmed that this is a valuable medicinal plant harvested in almost all regions.It uses almost all of its surface portion.The exception is berries lily of the valley.They are toxic and in traditional medicine are not applied.
main harvesting time to the period of active flowering.It is better to do it in dry weather after being dropped out come dew.Since the flower is protected by the state, there are strict rules for its collection.It is forbidden to pluck the plant, not to damage the root system.It is only to be careful with pruning knife.The height of the left stem should not be less than 5 cm. If it is blank colors, not the whole hand is cut off.From the bottom of the flower should be surrounded at least 3 cm. If you are going to lilies of the valley in the forest, it is forbidden to cut all the plants in the meadow.Truncation is permissible on the basis of one plant per square meter.
Description of the method of drying is very simple.Grass laid out to dry on the day of collection, avoiding withering, as thus lost all its nutrients.It is better to do it in specialized Electric driers.In their absence, dried in a well ventilated area until it is ready.Once stored in canvas bags in a dry, dark place.
