Golden stars of flowers on bright green creeping vines are the loosestrife, beloved by the villagers of medieval Rus'. It was this plant that was brewed as a tea drink before Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich received real tea leaves as a gift from Chinese ambassadors. This article will tell you about the reasons for the popularity of loosestrife, its use in folk medicine and landscape design, and offer the most effective recipes for tea from this plant.
The most noticeable morphological feature of this perennial herbaceous plant is its long creeping shoots, dotted with “ears” - paired opposite leaves. These leaves are almost round, for which the plant received the name “coin loosestrife” (the spelling “coin loosestrife” is allowed).
Its Latin name is Lysimachia nummularia. The loosestrife received its generic name lysimachia in honor of Lysimachus, one of the military leaders of Alexander the Great, who, according to legend, first found it. The specific name is derived from the word “coin” - “nummulus”. And among the people the plant is known under the names meadow tea, penny grass, nibbles, lawn grass. For its ability to quickly capture territory, loosestrife received the nickname “snake root.”
The stems of meadow tea reach a length of 50-60 cm. They are light green, almost yellow, and are clearly visible in the foliage. From a distance it seems that these are skewers for canapés, studded with pieces of kiwi fruit. They lie on the ground, spreading in all directions from the center, and if the plant is rooted on a cliff, they hang picturesquely from it.
For a more complete botanical description, it is important to note that:
- stems, leaves and even petals are dotted with small dark glands;
- the flowers are axillary, on long stalks, covering the middle part of the shoot;
- the plant is well adapted to wintering along with the leaves.
Loosestrife is self-sterile and generally does not reproduce well by seed. This must be taken into account when growing it in garden plots and when preparing medicinal raw materials.
Long creeping shoots are a feature of the loosestrife
Chemical composition of loosestrife
The biochemical side of loosestrife has been studied quite well. Our ancestors intuitively sensed a rich list of biologically active substances in meadow loosestrife tea:
- the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and its precursor choline;
- rutin and other glycosides with P-vitamin activity;
- fatty oils abundantly secreted by glands;
- caffeic and other organic acids;
- vitamin C.
Loosestrife is completely non-toxic; it can be included in green fodder and hay for farm animals.
Where does loosestrife grow?
Meadow tea is a typical inhabitant of Europe. In Russia, it is distributed from the North Caucasus to the Kola Peninsula and from the Kaliningrad region to the Altai Territory. To the east of the Yenisei it occurs in single specimens as an alien plant.
Wild loosestrife grows everywhere, but it forms more lush clumps in low relief areas, where there is a little less sun and a little more water. Prefers floodplain meadows, small ravines, banks of ponds and swamps. Cultivated forms require little shading.
Use of loosestrife
This medicinal plant is used only in folk medicine. Its main use is to prevent scurvy in winter. In remote villages, loosestrife leaves are still brewed as a tonic tea.
There are other ways to benefit from penny herb:
- fresh juice stops minor bleeding;
- compresses are soaked in the decoction for applying to wounds and eczema;
- infusion treats cough with copious sputum, gout, thrush;
- A paste of fresh leaves relieves pain and swelling from cuts, bruises, and damaged ligaments.
Medicinal properties and possible harm of loosestrife
It has been experimentally shown that the substances that make up meadow tea have the following effects:
- hemostatic;
- antiviral;
- antibacterial.
Rutin in conjunction with vitamin C strengthens capillary walls and increases the overall level of immunity, which explains the beneficial effect of meadow tea on patients with colds. Loosestrife preparations normalize the composition of the blood, preventing its excessive “thinning.” In this regard, there are contraindications for the use of the plant - varicose veins, a tendency to thrombus formation, hypertension, sclerosis of the blood vessels of the extremities. Loosestrife is not recommended for dry cough.
How to plant and care for a plant
With the help of penny grass, you can luxuriously decorate your garden plot. The plant has established itself in landscape design as an excellent ground cover for open ground. Drooping shoots decorate balconies, verandas, terraces, and creeping shoots cover the edges of garden paths and the ground around solitaire plantings.
Loosestrife looks impressive along the banks of artificial reservoirs, on the shaded slopes of alpine hills. In temperate zones and to the north, meadow tea grows well in the sun. Gardeners appreciate the original Aurea variety with light, almost golden leaves.
Loosestrife is propagated by rooting cuttings at any time of the growing season. They don’t even need to be treated with root formation stimulants—moist soil is enough. In the fall, you can divide an adult bush. Delenki take root well in well-moistened soil without bright lighting.
Planting and care for loosestrife are quite simple:
- Any soil is suitable for the plant, except clean sand and heavy loam;
- fertilizers are needed only on initially poor soil - peat mulch will do;
- watering is required only during drought;
- In autumn or early spring, thickets require clearing of dried shoots.
When loosening the soil, excess loosestrife roots are mercilessly cut off with a shovel, otherwise the plant begins to behave like a weed and may even “crawl” to its neighbors. This invader is planted along the edge of the site only if there is a road behind the fence or a wasteland begins. It is not recommended to plant a lawn with meadow tea, since by autumn some of its leaves dry out and spoil the appearance of the lawn.
Collection, preparation and storage of loosestrife
In folk medicine, loosestrife is used entirely: with roots and shoots. Harvesting is carried out during flowering - from May to August, since at this time meadow tea accumulates a maximum of vitamin C. The bushes are dug up with a spatula (pulled out from sandy loam soil), carefully shaken off lumps of earth and dried in the shade under a canopy. Store raw materials in paper bags in a dry place.
Since the plant is collected from the roots, when harvesting wild raw materials, it is necessary to leave several specimens to renew the population.
Healing recipes with loosestrife
The simplest thing you can turn dried loosestrife into is - aromatic tea . The oils from the steamed glands that cover the plant in abundance will provide it with a pleasant smell. To prepare the drink, pour half a teaspoon of loosestrife herb into a glass of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, filter and add honey. The course of treatment is 1-2 months. Can be used for preventive purposes.
Effective for inflammatory diseases root decoction . Approximately 10-15 g of root is ground in a mortar, poured with a glass of boiling water, kept in a water bath for half an hour and filtered. Take a teaspoon before each meal.
The most delicious meadow tea cooked in the village, in the presence of a Russian stove:
- fresh loosestrife herb is finely chopped, scattered in a thin layer on baking sheets and sprinkled well with “honey water”, which is prepared by dissolving a tablespoon of honey in a large cup of warm water;
- the baking sheets are placed in the oven immediately after freshly baked bread is taken out of it;
- the grass is simmered for several hours while the oven cools down.
This method of preparation completely replaces the “herbal” taste with honey.
Loosestrife spreads like festive golden-green carpets across damp meadows, forest edges and decorative flower beds. The vitamin plant is waiting in the wings to end up in a teapot and give connoisseurs a tasty and healthy herbal drink.
Loosestrife is a herbaceous plant of the Primrose family. It is most often grown as a perennial plant, but it can be biennial or annual.
It is an erect stem with leaves of various shapes and a scattering of yellow, pink or white flowers, depending on the species. The main advantage is the abundance and duration of the flowering period.
Varieties and types
– has a creeping root system. It reaches a height of 0.5-1 m. The leaves are lanceolate, opposite, the upper surface is smooth, while the lower one has some pubescence. The flowers are yellow, bell-shaped, and collected in apical panicles. The flowering period occurs in the summer months.
– reaches 0.3 m in height, and has large leaves and single yellow flowers located on long stalks. Flowering occurs from May to the end of June.
- has erect stems 0.5-0.6 m high. The leaves are lanceolate, narrow, and small yellow flowers are collected in axillary apical inflorescences, which have a fluffy shape due to the fact that the stamens are longer than the flower itself.
– has yellow flowers located on slightly branched stems. Depending on the variety of loosestrife, the leaves have a white border along the edge (variety " Alexander ") or a gold border (grade " Golden Alexander »).
- Known for its abundance of yellow flowers and bright green leaves. Popular varieties: " Lissie " - the inflorescences have the shape of a ball, " Persian rug " - a distinctive feature is the presence of red veins on dark green leaves, " Persian chocolate " has purple foliage, and the variety " Outback Sunset » is characterized by the presence of a yellow stripe on the leaves.
- a herbaceous plant with white inflorescences. Known varieties: " Lady Jane " - height 0.5-0.9 m, and " Geisha "—has a creamy leaf frame.
(coin or meadow) - this species is a ground cover with a recumbent creeping stem (about 0.3 m long). Single yellow flowers reach about 25 mm in diameter.
(ciliated) – the leaves of this species are paired, lanceolate, purple-red in color. The flowers are apical, collected in a loose lemon-colored inflorescence.
– Its obvious difference from other species is that its spike-shaped inflorescence has dark red, almost black, flowers.
- a herbaceous plant that often grows greatly in breadth, with the flowers located on spike-shaped stems-inflorescences.
Loosestrife planting and care in open ground
There are no special requirements for the choice of soil, the main thing is that it is not a clay composition, but the presence of moisture is a prerequisite. Sometimes it is planted directly near bodies of water or in lowlands where water often stagnates.
For this reason, during planting, you should not deepen the rhizome too much; 10-12 cm is enough. In addition, if it is not possible to ensure natural soil moisture, then watering should be frequent and plentiful, as soon as the top layer of soil dries out.
As for lighting, the main types of loosestrife prefer a slight darkening, with the exception of the purple loosestrife, which loves well-lit areas, otherwise the leaves may lose their decorative effect (they will just be green), but the lily of the valley and coin-shaped species prefer the opposite - strong darkening.
The plant tolerates wintering quite easily, so there is no need for additional shelter.
Pruning loosestrife in autumn
Only upright species need pruning. At the end of autumn they are pruned at the root and fertilized. Do not forget that after the inflorescences have faded, they must be torn off to give the plant a rest.
In addition, some types of loosestrife can be pleasing to the eye even without inflorescences, due to the decorative nature of the foliage.
Fertilizers for loosestrife
You should not overdo it with fertilizing, since loosestrife grows well anyway, so fertilizing is carried out if the soil is very poor (one of the signs may be slow growth or pale, sparse flowering).
It is enough to apply fertilizer once, in early spring. At the same time, you can loosen the soil and mulch the area around each bush, which will help retain moisture in the soil for a longer period.
But after the end of the growing season, at the end of autumn, the soil around the bushes is loosened. The main thing is not to damage the rhizome when digging, since it is close to the surface.
Reproduction of loosestrife by seeds
Loosestrife can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, root suckers and rhizome division.
The seed propagation method is used extremely rarely, due to the fact that flowering occurs only in the second or even third year after planting. In addition, it is necessary to stratify the seeds in the refrigerator (not in the freezer) in advance (2 months in advance).
After stratification, seeds can be sown directly in open ground, or by first growing seedlings. Planting takes place either in early June or in September. If you use late planting (before wintering), then stratification may not be carried out, since a natural process will occur during winter frosts.
Loosestrife propagation by dividing the bush
It is best to divide the bush (rhizome) in the spring, before young leaves begin to appear, or in the fall, after flowering has ended.
The divisions are planted at a distance of no closer than 30-40 cm from each other, taking into account the fact that the plant grows quickly.
Propagation of loosestrife by cuttings
By cuttings you can propagate such types of loosestrife as, for example, mint. Cuttings are cut during autumn or spring pruning.
Shoots 10-15 cm long are placed in a container with water, and after roots appear, they are planted in loose, drained and moist soil (open if in spring, or in pots if in autumn). It is better to shade young plants at first.
Diseases and pests
Aphid - this is the pest that can still be found on this flower.
In the fight against it, a drug such as Antitlin, which can be purchased at a flower shop, has proven itself best. If this is not found, you can use any substitute, the main thing is to detect it in time and begin treatment.
Loosestrife is a perennial herbaceous plant, a representative of the numerous genus of Loosestrife, family Primroses. Its long creeping shoots, 20-60 cm long, can take root at the nodes, the leaves are round, green or yellow. Flowers with a diameter of 18-30 mm, bright yellow, have five petals collected in a star-shaped cup. The plant is widespread in the northern hemisphere. On the territory of Russia it grows naturally in the European part and Ciscaucasia.
In landscape design it is used as a ground cover plant. It is valued for its unpretentiousness, rapid growth and high decorativeness. Monetary loosestrife grows in nature along river banks, near swamps, and in floodplain meadows. In our gardens, of course, it will feel best near artificial ponds or in damp places, but it can also be used to decorate arid areas where water flows several times a year. True, it will not be so beautiful there, and it will grow slowly, but the choice of beautiful plants for dry places is not so great.
Growing loosestrife
In addition, coined loosestrife can grow both in the shade and in the scorching sun. Plants with green leaves will do better in the shade, while plants with yellow leaves will do better in the sun. If you plant loosestrife with yellow leaves in the shade, they will soon lose their yellow color and turn light green.
It blooms profusely and very attractively. The flowers are really very beautiful, rich in color, large and expressive.
You can make a lawn from the common loosestrife, which is very beautiful all year round and easy to care for. The plant is resistant to trampling, with good watering it grows very well, does not require pruning, and requires a minimum of care to maintain a very high decorative effect. Moreover, such a lawn can be made both in the sun and in the shade. A lawn made of loosestrife with yellow leaves looks very interesting, one part of which is in the sun most of the day, and the other in the shade. It seems that it consists not of one plant variety, but of two, and of different colors.
Caring for coin loosestrife
If you have an artificial pond on your site, this plant will become its pearl. The coined loosestrife looks very beautiful, planted right on the shore, part of the shoots of which is located directly in the water and blooms in the water, and feels great.
How to water loosestrife
A dry mound in the sun, where nothing but sedums and succulents want to grow, can be decorated with the same loosestrife, although it will grow slowly and not look as chic as near the water. If possible, water it in hot weather at least with a watering can - that will be enough, its root system is superficial. They can also be used to decorate earthen roofs of cellars and other outbuildings.
In tall outdoor flowerpots, add loosestrife to upright flowers. It can be planted in containers and as a monoculture; its long, hanging stems look very impressive. Just take care of good watering here, otherwise instead of a beautiful hanging plant you will get untidy hanging vines with dried leaves.
Monetary loosestrife is also good on rocky hills. It can be grown on balconies.
In Rus', loosestrife is called meadow tea. Try brewing a few leaves - you might like it. Official medicine currently does not use it as a medicine, but traditional medicine and homeopathy have not ignored it.
How to grow coin loosestrife
Caring for this plant is surprisingly simple. It prefers fertile soils, but can also grow in poor soils. Loves moisture, but tolerates drought. Loosestrife prefers partial shade, but will grow well in both shade and sun. Winter-hardy. It is propagated by part of the rhizome or by rooted cuttings; it rarely produces seeds.
Loosestrife flowers (lat. Lysimachia) belong to the perennial and biennial herbaceous crops of the primrose family. The flower is better known as lysimachia. There are about 100 species of plants. Loosestrife is native to America, Eurasia and Africa. Creeping and erect varieties are known. The flower can reach about 30 cm in height. The plant is characterized by an opposite arrangement of leaves. There are representatives with an alternate and whorled structure of vegetative organs. The inflorescences are racemose and pink, yellow and milky in color.
Loosestrife is an unpretentious ground cover plant.
Lighting
The plant prefers semi-shaded areas. The culture also responds well to the complete absence of sunlight. There are only a few breeding subspecies that can develop in illuminated areas.
Temperature
For indoor lysimachy in the summer season, it is necessary to ensure a temperature range from + 20 to + 24 degrees. In winter, it is advisable to move the flowerpot to a room with a temperature of 10-16 degrees.
Loosestrife can withstand sudden changes in temperature.
Most plant species in an open area do not need additional protection during the cold season.
How to water
During the active growing season, moderate humidity of the substrate should be maintained. In winter, it is necessary to stop watering when the air temperature is low.
Humidity
For the development of loosestrife, an average level of air humidity is required - from 50 to 70%. The crop does not require additional moisture or spraying.
Transfer rules
Loosestrife can grow in almost all types of soil. For rapid development and lush flowering, you should take care of a loose, nutritious and moist substrate.
Loosestrife can destroy other green spaces.
There are several varieties that can displace or harm other crops. Therefore, it is advisable to perform a transplant once every ten years.
2 years after planting, the common loosestrife will turn into a branched bush with a large number of children. Small lysimachia need to be transplanted. It is advisable to replant in early spring after the threat of morning frosts has subsided. It is also possible to change the soil or container in October.
How to prune a crop
After the loosestrife has faded, you will need to clean the above-ground part of the plant along with the pedicels. Small sections of stems should remain on the soil surface.
In the fall, immediately after the pruning procedure, it is necessary to feed the root zone with compost. You can continue the flowering of loosestrife in a simple way. It is enough to clear the crop of inflorescences and parts of shoots as they wilt. The second stage of flowering will begin soon. New buds can form quite rarely and are small in size.
Loosestrife in open ground
The shade from tall green spaces is ideal for growing on the site. You can plant loosestrife in a group with shrubs and trees. It is important to remember that purple loosestrife needs constant sunlight.
To form a dense clump (the above-ground part of the plant with a group of leaves and shoots), it is advisable to plant point loosestrife on moist, fertile and loose soil.
Common loosestrife and lily of the valley require damp climatic conditions. Monarch loosestrife is often planted in shallow water (the depth should not exceed ten centimeters).
Lysimachia is characterized by increased frost resistance. The unpretentious crop can be used as an ornamental grass. Pointed loosestrife perfectly prevents landslides. The plant can be planted at the foot of an alpine hill.
Breeders have developed tall varieties of loosestrife.
The ground cover flower during the period of active development can reach about 70 cm.
In the hot season, common loosestrife needs to be watered in a loose substrate much more often than in loamy, depleted soil.
In August, bright yellow inflorescences will appear on the garden loosestrife. The tops of the stems perfectly set off the burgundy leaves of the crop. The duration of flowering depends on proper care. Under natural conditions, the production of inflorescences will stop after 1.5 months. In October you can begin to cleanse the plant.
You can propagate coined loosestrife outdoors in autumn and spring. To spread lysimachia, root layering, dividing the bush and cuttings are used.
In an open area, you can create amazing compositions with the help of plants. The lemon and wine shades of loosestrife combine perfectly with olive and silver stones on the slides.
Features of loosestrife can be learned from the video:
Growing technology
The soil
For growing loosestrife, there is no fundamental difference in the composition of the soil. The plant is able to actively develop even on poor soil. Suitable for lysimachia and close proximity to groundwater. A clay substrate can slow down and stop the development of loosestrife.
For growing in a pot, it is advisable to purchase a ready-made, universal soil mixture for flowering plants.
Top dressing
When planting a plant in open ground, add compost or rotted manure.
Loosestrife does not need constant feeding. The plant needs enough useful components from soil and water. In very depleted soil, decorativeness may decrease.
Unlike “street” loosestrife, a container plant will need to periodically apply organic and mineral fertilizers.
Frequent application of fertilizers can damage the plant.
The funds should be used from early May to July. It is not recommended to fertilize more than 2 times a month. Compliance with the dosage promotes the active development of loosestrife in width.
Plant in a container
For planting in a pot, you should choose a container of a suitable size. Gardeners recommend growing compact varieties in a container.
For loosestrife, you need to prepare a stable wooden tub or garden planter.
It is important to provide a thick layer of drainage. The plant loves moist soil. It is not advisable to allow the substrate in the container to dry out.
The container plant can be used for garden decoration.
Stagnant water can destroy the root system. It is necessary to provide a drain for excess liquid in the bottom. Growing in a pot will help protect the plant from sudden weather anomalies.
Container loosestrife can be placed in the center of a flower bed or formed into a garden composition using a flowerpot. The plant looks great against the background of the lawn.
Diseases and typical pests
Monetary loosestrife is characterized by increased resistance to damage by insects and diseases. Aphids can cause significant damage to plantings. To get rid of pests you will need insecticides.
The active period for insects begins at night. Pests should be mechanically collected from lysimachia after sunset. Then you can treat the plant with an insecticide.
The appearance of yellow leaves indicates damage to the plant.
Contraindications and allergic manifestations
Monetary loosestrife is often used in folk medicine and pharmacology. All parts of the plant are contraindicated for people suffering from vascular sclerosis of the extremities. The culture is especially dangerous for patients prone to thrombosis, high blood pressure and high levels of blood clotting. It is strictly not recommended to use the product to treat dry cough in children.
The plant can cause an allergic reaction. After contact with loosestrife or taking medications, difficulty breathing, rash, blisters, skin irritation, and swelling may occur. It is necessary to take an antihistamine and seek medical help.
Reproduction technology
Monetary loosestrife can be spread vegetatively (by cuttings, dividing a bush, basal suckers) and using seeds. Experienced gardeners recommend using vegetative methods for growing lysimachia.
Loosestrife from seeds is able to form the first inflorescences only three years after planting. Before planting in the spring, it is advisable to stratify the seeds (using the influence of temperature) for two months in the lower compartment of the refrigerator. In the fall, you don’t have to pre-treat the rudiments.
The seedling method of cultivation guarantees friendly loosestrife shoots. It is necessary to prepare a moist substrate of peat and sand. The container must be covered with transparent glass on top. The container should be placed in a room with a temperature of about + 15 degrees.
Shoots will appear in 2 weeks. Strong sprouts can be planted in separate pots. Lysimachia can be transferred to open soil in June.
Loosestrife flowering
For long-term flowering, dry inflorescences should be removed in a timely manner.
To form inflorescences, the plant only needs abundant watering and timely removal of fading flowers.
Planting material
Monetary loosestrife can be purchased at garden centers in a container size p-9 with a height of 10 cm at a price of 180 rubles. SeDek goldilocks loosestrife seeds are sold in online stores at a price of 16 rubles per package weighing two grams.
Loosestrife (meadow tea) – Lysimachia nummularia L. Primulaceae family – Primulaceae
Botanical characteristics
Perennial herbaceous plant. The stems are creeping up to 80 cm, tetrahedral, often rooting at the nodes, slightly branched. The leaves are opposite, round in shape (coin-shaped), hence the name of the plant, whole along the edge, on short petioles. The flowers are golden-yellow, relatively large, solitary, axillary, five-dimensional, the calyx is funnel-shaped, separate almost to the base. Blooms in June – July. Flowers are not pollinated, and therefore it never produces normally developed seeds. Reproduces mainly vegetatively.
Spreading
It grows only in damp places: in mountain and flood meadows, along the edges of swamps, in thickets of bushes.
Plant parts used
The whole plant is the medicinal raw material. It is pulled out by the roots during flowering and dried in the shade in a ventilated area. All parts of the plant contain saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, nitrogen-containing compounds, flavonoids: hyperin, rutin; phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivatives, primverase enzyme, silicic acid.
Application and medicinal properties
Loosestrife has long been used in folk medicine in the form of tea by those suffering from dust-related lung diseases, who are unable to cough up or get rid of mucus in the morning. Loosestrife is often used in conjunction with mallow leaves.
Crushed leaves and fresh juice are applied to purulent wounds and long-term non-healing ulcers, with infiltrates, as a wound-healing, analgesic, astringent and hemostatic agent, for dysentery, hemoptysis, hemorrhoids.
Infusions and decoctions are used for constipation, bruises, peptic ulcers, gynecological diseases, anemia, headaches, scurvy, jaundice, convulsions; externally – in the form of drops – for nosebleeds, eye diseases; poultices - for tumors, bruises, hernias, rheumatism; rinsing - for diseases of the oral cavity, stomatitis, skin inflammation, eczema, thrush.
Powdered roots in the form of powders are used externally as a wound-healing, analgesic and hemostatic agent for damaged blood vessels.
In Tibetan medicine, meadow tea is widely used for various gastrointestinal diseases. Fresh juice - for bites of animals, snakes, insects, both internally and externally. Young stems are used for food. With honey - for cough, shortness of breath.
Preparation
- For decoction take 20 g of the aerial part or roots, chop, pour in 200 ml of boiling water, leave in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes without removing from the bath, filter. Take 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day before meals.
- For infusion 15 g of flowers or leaves are poured into 200 ml of boiling water, left in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, cooled for 45 minutes, filtered. Take 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day before meals.
- Fresh juice for nasal and eye drops should be diluted with water at a rate of 1:1, orally - 1 teaspoon per 30 ml of water 2-3 times a day before meals.