The plant is a medicinal letter. Large-flowered initial - an unusual and useful plant in your garden Why the initial does not bloom

The perennial with delicate pink or lilac flowers has become popular among gardeners for its ease of care. Among the people, it received the most affectionate names: initial letter, wild sage, darling, God's little hands. The modest, discreet beauty of this plant perfectly decorates many garden plots and parks, frames country houses and sidewalks of city boulevards. It blooms throughout the summer season. Today we will tell you about how to grow such a wonderful plant on your site, and what kind of care it will require.

Morphology of a drop cap

In wild, pristine nature, the initial letter can be found growing in meadows, among the bushes of deforested forests, along the dirt roads of Siberia and the Caucasus. Description of the main parts of the plant (see photo):

the root is straight and short, the thickened rhizome has a large number of appendages;
the stem is tetrahedral, erect, completely covered with elastic hairs, the length can reach 1 m, at the very top of the stem a flower rosette is formed, its height is up to 30 cm;
leaves - the lower ones are larger and longer than the upper leaves, the edges are jagged, the leaf blade is compressed, closer to the petiole they have a rounded ovoid shape, then along the length they turn into an oblong blade with a sharp end;
flowers - collected in peculiar spikelets, shaped like cylinders, petals are collected in a bell-shaped cup of pink or lilac color;
fruits are nuts that form inside the calyx of flowers; their full ripening lasts from August to October.

Flowering initial letter

The perennial plant in nature reproduces by seeds. The nut-boxes, when ripe, burst and release small brown seeds, triangular and smooth, convex on the outside, into the soil. When planted, these seeds retain all the genetic properties of the plant.

The drop cap is valued for the healing properties inherent in this plant. It is used to prepare decoctions and tinctures to treat headaches, insomnia, feelings of anxiety and irritation, and to normalize intestinal function.

Growing a letter from seeds

The initial plant can be propagated by dividing the rhizome or by seeds. Propagation from seeds is carried out in several stages:

Selection of initial seeds: only high-quality and undamaged seeds are selected for sowing. Their fullness can be determined by soaking. To do this, pour water with potassium permanganate into the container, pour out the seeds, and stir the liquid. After 2 hours, the seeds that float to the surface are removed; they are not suitable for sowing.
Soaking: the seeds that have settled to the bottom of the container are washed and filled with fresh water, a growth stimulator is added, just a little, and kept in this solution for a day.
Sowing seeds: spread the swollen seeds on a napkin and give them time to dry slightly (1-2 hours). Using tweezers, distribute evenly on the bed or in a tray for seedlings, and pour a thin layer of loose soil on top.
Watering: moisten the soil very carefully; you can use a small watering can with small holes or a spray bottle. To preserve moisture, cover the beds with polyethylene or other moisture-proof materials. When the first shoots appear, the film can be removed.

Attention! The perennial letter has one peculiarity. Autumn planting (before winter) is more favorable for this plant. In this case, in the spring the seedlings produce friendly shoots with strong stems. When sown in the spring, such a trend is not observed; seedlings will be more rare. September and October are the best periods for sowing.

Planting the initial letter and subsequent care

Depending on the place you choose to plant the initial letter, you should prepare grooves or holes. Their depth should be no more than 2 centimeters. Prepared seeds are sown in spring, summer or late autumn. When propagated by seed, flowering begins in the third year, when planted by shoots or by dividing the root - already in the next season.

Plants such as perennial capsicum do not require any special conditions for growing; they can grow on any soil, even not very fertile soil. In garden conditions, for planting it, you can choose places where more demanding plants will not grow. These are shaded areas among fruit bushes, loamy or sandy soils. But even the most undemanding plant in the garden should look healthy and fit well into the landscape. To achieve this, several conditions must be met:

plant the capitula in loose soil with a sufficient amount of fertilizer;
water moderately, do not allow water to stagnate at the roots; if necessary, perform drainage so that irrigation or rainwater flows freely from the area of planted plants;
fertilize 1-2 times per season, do not get carried away with applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers, everything should be in moderation;
remove weeds in a timely manner, use chemicals if there are a lot of them;
carry out preventive spraying against diseases; perennial beetroot rarely gets sick, but such a measure would not be superfluous;
carry out pest control if necessary.

Advice. Rare and moderate watering of the cap will allow the plant to withstand the onslaught of rodents. With such moisture, the leaves and stems of the initial plant become tough and inaccessible to eating.

The healing properties of this modest-looking plant have long been known to many gardeners from different countries. You can also safely add the initial letter to the list of plants grown in your garden. Find her a place among other green pets: in the garden, on an alpine hill, on the border of the house paths. You will never regret it.

Medicinal initial letter: video

Betonika grandiflora. Capricorn grandiflora is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family. In nature, under natural conditions, the large-flowered letter can be found in the Caucasus and in the subalpine meadows of Asia Minor. In Kuzbass, Bukvitsa has settled down in the gardens of flora lovers. And this plant spread not because it was promoted in catalogs, but because of its natural beauty and uniqueness.

Indeed, there is something to praise for this truly unpretentious plant with delicate flowering. Large lilac-pink flowers are collected in short capitate inflorescences. The height of the peduncle reaches 60 centimeters.

These elegant flowering cylinders rise solemnly above the dark heart-shaped leaves growing on tall petioles. The edges of the leaves are crenate.

But beauty in Siberia is not the only and decisive factor in order to be able to survive in a sharply continental climate. Therefore, it is very important that the initial cap is highly winter-hardy. There is another important property of this plant - it can tolerate drought. But the letter does not tolerate stagnation in the ground.

It grows happily in sunny areas. The initial letter is not aggressive and does not aim to occupy other people's territories. The bush has an excellent habit and is quite compact. There is another type of initial letter, a medicinal initial letter. The plant has a similar leaf texture, but the inflorescences are small. And the medicinal letter reaches a meter in height.

Grandiflora initial begins to vegetate in early May and begins to bloom at the end of June or early July. Flowering lasts two to three weeks depending on weather conditions. And for herbaceous perennials this is not bad at all.

Now the time has come for the end of flowering and you can cut off the flower stalks. Or you can leave it. Weed thoroughly, loosen the soil around the plant and allow the ripened seeds to sow in the fall. You can get excellent self-seeding in the spring. Take it for yourself and pick up the young shoots. Here is one of the ways to propagate the capitol grandiflora.

Another way is to divide the rhizome during autumn-spring transplantation. But those who are more professional in the field of plant propagation will be able to draw a letter in the spring and propagate in this way. If you don’t need to propagate and cut off the faded flower stalks in time, then the initial letter will soon become an elegant dark green spot in the garden. And the bush will remain in this decorative state until autumn, and will retain its attractiveness until frost.

The perennial plant Grandiflora will help make your garden extraordinary. It was known to the healers of Ancient Greece and Rome. Only in those days it was used only for medicinal purposes. Nowadays, people grow it mainly to decorate their gardens. Despite its popularity, you may not have heard such a name, because this plant is known under other names that prevailed in Rus', namely: motherboard, chistets, lady's hands and others. In the wild you can find it in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and also in Kuzbass. This simple, but nevertheless spectacular flower has become popular precisely because of this.

Description of a delicate flower

All representatives of the genus capital are perennials. They have a short but thick root, on which there are a large number of adventitious roots. This fact must be taken into account during transplantation, as well as when dividing an already mature plant. The plant blooms from July to August.

The stem of the flower is erect, and its height reaches 1 meter. The leaves start from 30 cm, and differ from those familiar to us, for example, their shape is lacy around the edges, as for the surface itself - it has roughness on both sides. Their shape can be different:

Ovoid.
Petiolate.
Heart-shaped.
Wrinkled.

Peduncles decorated with flowers are formed in the axils of the upper leaves. The peduncle node is dense and multicolored, and the bracts are acute or ciliated.
Its bell-shaped calyx creates more charm for the flower, since it contains spinous teeth of a triangular shape. The inflorescences are often purple, less often found in white or lilac. The letter contains a dry fruit, which consists of four single-seeded nuts located at the bottom of the cup. Brown nuts ripen from August to October. The aroma of the initial cap is quite specific; it can be felt by rubbing its outer parts with your hands.

The world knows only 15 species of this amazing plant, but even those are not used often, although many species are grown at home. But only two types have gained the most popularity. This is due to the fact that all species are quite similar to each other and therefore there is no great need to breed various species in your flowerbed. Medicinal and large-flowered initial letters - these are the two “stars” of Russian flower beds.
Unlike the large-flowered one, the medicinal initial flower has very small inflorescences, so they are grown only for medicinal use. The remaining indicators are no different from an ordinary letter. Even the flowering time is the same - from June to August. In the wild, it is found in forests (mixed and deciduous), meadows and clearings, and slopes of the European part of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Siberia. Leaves, stems and flowers are used for medicinal use; the roots of this flower are practically not used in folk recipes.

The specificity lies in the bitter-salty taste, and the essential oils that the flower contains , give a peculiar smell due to the high alcohol content in it, and in addition to it, the plant contains ketone, aldehyde, phenol and others.

Plant care methods

Planting and caring for the plant is not difficult. This is due to the fact that the plant is unpretentious and resistant to severe frosts. However, this does not affect the beautiful appearance of the plant, even if you do not fertilize or feed it - in the end you will be satisfied with a blooming garden.

Unpretentiousness to the soil is the key to the popularity of this species. Almost any area is suitable for growing the initial plant, the growing season of which begins in May, and flowering in June, more often at the end. But it feels better in loamy soils, since these soils are natural for the plant - they are found in forests. When compared with other plants, it can be noted that flowering occurs for quite a long time - three weeks, but can last less.
After removing the inflorescences, which have already dried, the greenery does not lose its decorative effect and until frost, its tufts of dark green color are observed.

Reproduction

The letter can reproduce in several ways:

Vegetatively.
Seeds.

Vegetative propagation occurs by dividing the bush. This procedure is often carried out in the spring, since division in the fall does not guarantee a positive result. Also, do not forget that propagation using this method is carried out only for adult plants. Flowering with this method is observed already in the first year. Regrown shoots of at least 10 cm are used for cuttings.
Seed propagation of the initial letter does not require stratification, but it is better to plant in winter, this is how strong and hardy plants will sprout. To plant seeds, you need to create furrows 2 cm deep. If you sow the material in the spring, germination will be delayed for three weeks, and then (in rare cases) seedlings are observed.

After sowing, the soil needs to be kept moist; to do this, cover it with lutrasil or a damp bag, sprinkle it with hay or other materials.
The first year after planting it produces a low rosette of leaves, which does not exceed 15 cm. And in the fall, the new plant must be transplanted to a permanent place, while maintaining the required distance between planted seedlings (30 cm). Replanting does not harm the plant in any way, so you should not be afraid to do it.

Initial letter or Betonica are herbaceous plants that belong to the genus Lamiaceae. This plant is a perennial. The root system is straight, short and thick, with many adventitious roots growing on it. The stem has a characteristic feature: it is tetrahedral. It can reach a height of about a meter and has long hairs of a coarse texture. The sheets are located above the ground at a height of thirty centimeters. The leaves have an unusual shape, their edges resemble lace, which looks very beautiful and attracts attention, among other things. The leaves of this plant are oblong and heart-shaped, the structure of the leaf is wrinkled, covered with hairs on both sides. The roots of the lower leaves are longer than the upper ones.

The flower stalks have no leaves, they grow up to a meter or more, and large pink flowers bloom on them. The formation of flowers occurs in the axils of the leaves, which grow at the very top; they are formed into inflorescences that are shaped like a cylinder.

The drop cap comes in over fifteen species that can be found in temperate climates around the globe.

– this plant grows in nature, it can often be found in meadows and elevated areas. This plant has many healing properties that have long been recognized, and is also used in Tibetan medicine. For medicinal purposes, the plant is collected during the flowering period; the root system is not often used. The most useful properties of the plant are considered to be: choleretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant properties. Medicines that are made based on the initial letter have many useful functions: they relieve pain, calm the nervous system, can reduce blood pressure, help normalize metabolism, and help with problems with digestion and blood circulation.

- This plant most often grows in the Alps in meadows. In addition, in its natural state it can be found in the Caucasus and Asia. The peculiarity of this plant is that it is very unpretentious, and also has a very attractive appearance. The skeleton of a plant can be determined by its leaves, which are rarely more than thirty centimeters. The inflorescences of this plant are short and capitate in shape. The leaves are very impressive in appearance, they are colored dark green and have an unusual texture. The flowers of the initial letter can be of different shades, starting with lilac, continuing with pink, and ending with crimson flowers. In appearance, the flowers look like a tiny orchid.

Landing

Due to the fact that large-leaved cap is an unpretentious plant, it can be planted and grown in a wide variety of places and areas. In order for the plant to grow and develop properly, you should take into account the main points that are characteristic of this plant:

the place where the drop cap will grow must be sunny so that the plant receives a sufficient amount of sunlight;
In order for the plant to be strong and give abundant color, it must be planted in fertile soil;
In order for the plant to develop properly and not get sick, it needs to be provided with drainage. When preparing a hole for the initial, you should provide a drainage layer that will help the roots not to rot when there is an excess of moisture and not to dry out when there is no water for a long time.

Planting large-leaved capitula in open soil can be done in spring, autumn and directly in summer. In the spring, it is very convenient to plant the initial plant, because after the winter snows there is a lot of water left in the soil and it is very nutritious. Before the onset of summer and the hot period, the drop cap has some interval when it can take root and feel normal in any weather. In the summer, plant replanting is more demanding, because constant watering must be provided, preferably a drip irrigation system. If you plant the initial plant in the fall, then this must be done before the end of September, so that only the planted plant can prepare for winter frosts.

Propagation of the initial plant occurs in several ways, this can be by dividing the bush into smaller ones, propagation using seeds or using cuttings. The best way is considered to be dividing the bush, which is done in the spring, when the bush has fully sprouted and its height is at least twenty centimeters. The initial plant needs to be completely dug up, divided into smaller shrubs and planted. The distance between young plants should be at least thirty centimeters. You can divide the bush at the end of summer. If the initial letter was divided in the spring, then it will bloom in the same year.

Growing a drop cap using seeds is a more complicated procedure, because they must be germinated at home for several months. A cap plant planted with seeds will bloom in two or even three years.

Reproduction by cuttings occurs in a slightly different way. The cutting is broken off from the plant at the very base of the bush, and part of the root also breaks off. The cuttings need to be dipped in Kornevin’s solution for an hour or two, after which it is planted in the ground with prepared soil. Transplanting the plant to another, its permanent location should take place no earlier than two months later.

Plant care

When planning the care of the plant, you should remember the conditions in which the cap grows in nature; this plant grows in the meadows of the Caucasus, where the hot sun bakes and there is not a lot of moisture, so it has become tolerant to unfavorable conditions and does not require much attention to itself .

To grow a healthy and beautiful plant, you need to take the most basic measures to care for the letter, namely:

Providing watering, which should be quite rare, but constant;
Adding complex fertilizers if the soil is very poor and any plants grow poorly on it;
In order for the large-leaved initial flower to please with its flowering, you need to help it a little and remove wilted flowers;
Any plant can grow comfortably if there are no extra weeds near it that take away its light and moisture, so you should keep an eye on this, in addition, you should periodically loosen the soil around the plants.

The initial plant needs moisture after planting so that the rooting process goes quickly and correctly, and in the future, this plant needs to be watered only once a week, this is the main care for it. If the large-leaved capitol undergoes drought for a long time, then this does not affect the appearance in any way. The plant completely retains its beautiful and original appearance. But an excess of water has a destructive effect on the plant, it contributes to the destruction of leaves, distortion of the root cushion, stretching of the peduncle and deterioration of flowering.

Caring for the initial plant also involves adding fertilizers, which is done three times a season, in the spring, when the plant becomes more active. When sprouts appear from the ground, you need to loosen the soil around the plant, mix it with fertilizer and water it well. The letter is fertilized a second time before it blooms. When a plant has thrown out a peduncle, you need to help it with additional forces, which is why fertilizers are added; it is best to mix organic and mineral. Half a bucket of manure and a pinch of fertilizer will help the initial flower get the strength to bloom. In autumn, fertilizers are applied after the plant has completely finished flowering. Peduncles are trimmed and fertilized with fertilizers that should not contain nitrogen. With the help of such care, the large-leaved initial cap will always delight with its beauty.

Medicinal letter (Betonica officinalis) - in the botanical literature you can also find such names as betonica, black letter, magpie, red letter.

Description

Medicinal letter is a perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The flower has short roots. A small stem with four straight edges or a small number of branches. The plant reaches a height of 30 to 80 cm.

The leaf blades of the initial letter are petiolate, wrinkled, oblong in shape, closer to the stem in the shape of a heart. The stem and body of the leaf are covered with stiff hairs.

Concrete flowers are collected at the end of the stem into a spike-shaped inflorescence. The initial flower blooms in June–September. Its fruits ripen in July. The plant can be found throughout our country, as well as in Western Siberia and the Caucasus.

Betonika can be propagated by seeds and dividing bushes. Letterwoods are excellent honey plants, and they are also used as a natural wool dyeing agent.

Collection and procurement of raw materials

To treat diseases, grass is used (the upper parts of Betonica officinalis are about 30 cm long), leaves located at the roots and sometimes the roots themselves. Raw materials should be harvested during flowering.

Dry the grass in the shade under a canopy or in a room with good ventilation. The initial letter is laid out on paper or textile material in a thin layer and stirred regularly. Dry grass and leaves are stored in a dry place for two years. The roots can be harvested in the fall, during the wilting period. They are dug up, cleared of soil, washed, and cut into pieces. The raw materials are dried in a warm and always dry room. Parts of the roots should be laid out on paper or textiles in one layer.

Medicinal properties, application, treatment

Betonika, or initial letter, is endowed with anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a diuretic and laxative effect on the human body, and helps with the accumulation of phlegm and bile. The initial letter normalizes the activity of the central nervous system, as well as relieve pain and stop bleeding. Preparations based on it stabilize the digestive system and metabolism, improve blood circulation, and normalize blood pressure.

In healing and folk medicine, concrete is used to cure bronchi and lung diseases, including tuberculosis, cough, tracheitis, and whooping cough. It is also used for gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, hepatitis, and diarrhea.

Sorokozub is effective against chronic or acute glomerulonephritis and other kidney diseases. Medicines from the roots are used as an emetic and laxative.

Externally, preparations of this plant are used in the treatment of varicose veins with ulcerative complications, melanoma, and sweating of the feet.

Dosage forms and doses

Concrete decoction. 2 tbsp. l. dried initial letter per glass of boiling water. Add 30-40 grams of port wine to the mixture and then cook over low heat for about 4-5 minutes. After this, the broth should be removed from the heat, leave for 20 minutes, and strain well. This decoction should be taken 2 tbsp. l. 2 times a day.
Tincture of the herb betoniki. 2 tbsp. l. Finely chopped dry herbs should be poured into a glass of boiled water, left for about an hour and strained thoroughly. You need to drink 1 tbsp of tincture. l., 3-4 times a day.
A decoction of magpietooth rhizomes. 3 tbsp. l. dry roots need to be poured with one glass of boiled water, simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, leave for 10 minutes and strain thoroughly. The decoction is taken 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day as a laxative. As for use on the skin, externally, such a liquid can be used in the form of lotions for melanoma.

For sweaty feet

5 grams of dry finely chopped herbs should be poured into 2.5 liters of hot water, left for 30 minutes and strained. The tincture is poured into a bath or basin. The water temperature should not be higher or lower than 36-38C. The bath should be taken for approximately 30 minutes for approximately 2 weeks.

For treating cuts, wounds and ulcers

25 grams of dry herb should be filled with about 2 liters of water, then evaporated to half the original volume, left for 1 hour and strained thoroughly. The affected areas should be washed with textile material soaked in the broth for 5-15 minutes, then wait until the liquid has completely evaporated from the skin. Similar procedures are carried out 1-3 times a day, until complete healing, which, as a rule, occurs after 3-14 days, depending on the severity of the lesion.

Alcohol tincture

It is believed that this tincture is effective for uterine bleeding caused by inflammatory processes. Dry crushed grass should be poured with alcohol concentration 40 or vodka, one to one. The mixture is infused for 14 days in a dark place, shaking regularly, then filtered. The tincture is taken one teaspoon at a time. tinctures diluted with water, 2-3 times a day.