Lythium salicaria - Lythium salicaria. Family Derbenniaceae - Lythraceae.
And glory will be no words,
And light for all, but only simpler,
And this life is a weeping weed
Before that wide-noisy grove.
А. Tarkovsky
On the banks of rivers and lakes, in the coastal strip among aquatic plants, in lowland grassy marshes and very wet meadows in abundance can be found the plant Derbennik willow-leaved. Derbennik willowleaf penetrates and under the canopy of shrubs, can grow even in rice fields as a weed. Areal of the plant Derbennik willow-leaved covers almost the entire European and Asian parts of Russia, it is found in the mountains of the Caucasus.
The Latin name of the genus is probably derived from the word ludron meaning "blood", and the species name literally translates as "willow-leaved". There is another common name for the willow-leaved merbennik plant - plakun grass. Indeed, look at it on a dry day and you will see large drops of sap falling from the long, narrow leaves of the merlin, as if the merlin plant were crying. This is how the weeping grass, whose leaves are provided with water slits, gets rid of excess water. Under the name "plakun grass" the plant is mentioned in old legends and fairy tales. One legend even attributes to her the ability to discover earth treasures. According to another legend, turfgrass grew from the tears of the Virgin Mary.
Derbennik willow-leaved is a perennial herbaceous plant with a long stem reaching 1 m or more. The lanceolate leaves in the lower part of the stem of Derbennia willowleaf sit opposite each other, while in the upper part they are ordinary. Inflorescences of turfgrass willow-leaved are long, narrow. Gathered two or three in one plant, studded with red-purple small flowers, they are very showy. True, in different zones, the plant of Derbennik willow-leaved varies greatly in morphological features: the shape of the inflorescence, the lowering of fruits. Curiously, the flowers of Derbennia willowleafii are different: some have long pistils, others have short pistils, others have medium pistils, and the stamens are also of different lengths. Thus it turns out that the willow-leaved turfgrass has three flower forms (Fig. 8), which is called a trimorphism. This device completely eliminates self-pollination. Normal pollination of willow-leaved turfgrass occurs only when the insect transfers pollen from the long stamens to the long pistils, etc. д. Placunus grass is often called red-blue tailed grass for the appearance of its inflorescences. "I can't imagine August without the weeping grass growing sprawlingly on the rocky island shores. Her alarmingly red brushes in the lake's
:pic1:
Her anxious red brushes in the lake :rice1: sands radiate with the glow of history and folk poetry," writes N. Zabolotsky.
In addition to decorativeness, the plant turf willow-leaved has a lot of useful properties. Studies have shown that leaves and stems of Derbennia willowleaf contain tannin, resins, carotene, traces of essential oil, glycoside salicarin; roots of Derbennia willowleaf contain tannins, saponins; seeds contain alkaloids, glycoside litrarine; flowers contain flavonoids. Derbennik willow-leaved is highly valued by folk healers. Herbs and rhizomes are considered to be medicinal raw materials of Derbennik willow-leaved; the former are collected during flowering, the latter - in the fall. For example, a porridge made from the herb of the willow-leaved herb is used to treat bleeding wounds. The whole plant of Derbennik willow-leaved is used as an anti-inflammatory or astringent for digestive disorders and cardiovascular diseases, as an analgesic, wound-healing, diarrhea. Rhizome of Derbennik willow-leaved is used as an expectorant for bronchitis, internal bleeding, colds, as a gargle for stomatitis. In Tibetan medicine, Derbennik willowleaf is recommended for some diseases of the nervous system, and in homeopathy as a fixative.
Folk fantasy attributed to turfgrass willow-leaved even magic power. The following incantation was known: "Crying, crying! You have cried long, but you have cried little. Roll not thy tears over the clear field, nor spread thy howl over the blue sea. Be thou afraid of evil demons, old witches. And they will not give you conquest - drown you in tears, and they will flee your shame - lock you in the pits of the underworld."
Due to its richness in tannins, willow-leaved turf is used as a tanning agent; it is not without reason that it is also known as tannia. Thus, nets soaked in decoction of roots and herbs of Derbennik willow-leaved, do not rot in water. Derbennik willowleaf is very good as a mellifer, but bees visit only in open areas and during the period of mass flowering. The red juice of the flowers of turfgrass willowleaf is even used in confectionery.
There are 14-16 species of turfgrasses in our country. In the south of Russia, the Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia in flood meadows, banks of rivers and lakes, along the edges of marshes grows merbennik rod-shaped. Its non-dense inflorescence with pinkish-purple flowers is very beautiful. Tannins have been found in its herb and in its roots. In the Caucasus, three species of turfgrass are found in wet marshy areas and riverbanks. Two of them - Derbennia tricolor and Derbennia hyssopolistica - have a pontic, Mediterranean-Turanian range, while the third - Derbennia theodora - has a Hyrcanian range. All three turfgrasses are also used in folk medicine as an astringent and for bleeding. They are also used in leather tanning. All of them are very decorative..
