Why did the northern locust tree blossom this summer?Flowers are poisonous, don't eat it

Careful friends may find that this summer, the flowers of locust trees in northern cities such as Beijing this summer are particularly large. Many people feel: "Obviously it is a tree that is used to cover up yin and leaves, but it has become a big tree watching." People asked: "Everyone said 'May Huaihua Fragrance', why is this August, and they have blossomed? And it's not fragrant."

Before answering the above questions, let's talk about what is located.

Two kinds of locust trees

There are two main types of locust trees in China. Styphnolobium japonicum and Robinia Pseudoacacia are all bean familys, but the former is locust, the latter is locust, the difference is quite large.

Guohuai is a big tree native to our country, with a history of thousands of years of planting. History records that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Jinggong of Qi State liked the locust trees, especially a huge national locust had been loved by him. So he ordered an order: "The criminals of the criminals, the injured people died."

Yan Ying and Qi Jinggong

As soon as the command was commanded, a drunk man injured the tree. Qi Jinggong was furious, okay, isn't this a crime? Be sure to "click" him. Fortunately, the man's daughter is gentle and filial, and she is a beautiful woman. Under the persuasion of Yan Ying's many parties, Qi Jinggong pardoned this person, but no one dared to disrespect this locust tree.

In fact, locust trees were very respected in ancient times. "Zhou Li" said: "San locust, three public positions." Meaning: the locust tree flower yellow, the prominent minister can wear yellow; ; Locust tree pattern is organized, just like the literary talent of the minister. As a courtier, if you have the same character as the locust tree, you can be ranked in the three public.

In terms of practicality, Guohuai is also quite comprehensive. Its flowers are often used for dyes and can dye clothes to yellow. The Song Dynasty Botanist Kou Zongzheng [shì] recorded the method of dyeing with locust flowers: cooking water with locust flowers, boiling to stain. The dry flower buds (called locust rice) and fruit pods can be used as medicine.

Du Fu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, had eaten locust leaves and wrote the poem "Hua Lean Leng Tao" recorded. The so -called cold tao is the cold noodles, and the ingredients of the locust leaves are squeezed with the sauce and noodles with the leaves of the locust. This way of eating, I heard that it continued until the Ming Dynasty.

However, eating locust leaves is actually very dangerous. According to "Chinese Poisonous Plants", Guohuai's "flowers, leaves, stems, and pods are poisonous." Fortunately, Guohuai is not toxic, otherwise, our poetry saint is likely to have a lot of good works.

However, Huaihua has always been a food in the Chinese population. Why haven't you heard of a poisoning incident? This is to mention another kind of locust tree -locust. The locust blossoms we eat are all flowers of locusting, which has nothing to do with Chinese locust.

This is the food in people's mouth -locusting flower.

There is a story about locusting. Legend has it that in Fengyang, Anhui, there are several 700 -year -old ancient spiny locust trees, which were planted by Zhu Yuanzhang when they rebelled. Because the people had no food at that time, Ming Taizu, who was still the anti -thief, planted locust trees to let everyone pick locust flowers to fill their hunger.

The story is well -told, but people with a little botanical common sense know that this is a bit lighter. The locust, also known as Hua locustion, was native to North America and was introduced from Europe at the end of the 18th century.

The differences between Chinese locust and locusting are mainly 4 points: first of all, the flowers are different, the Chinese locust bloom in summer, and the conical inflorescence is top (like a pagoda branch). There is no fragrance and poisonous; Hanging skewers), the floral fragrance is strong, delicious, the cotton cotton is it.

On the left is the flower of locust, and the right side is the flower of the Chinese locust.

The second is different fruits. The pods of the Chinese locust are rosary -like, section and one section; locusting is a flat pod, like a bean horns.

Fruit of Chinese locust

Fruit of locust

The third is that the locust has thorns and grows at the base of the feather -like compound leaves. Otherwise, how can it be called locusting. However, the thorns of some trees will be completely degraded or not obvious.

Spines

The fourth is that the leaves are different. The small leaves of the locust are round, and the Chinese locust is pointed.

On the left is the leaf of the Chinese locust, aperture; the right is a spinning blade, a apex circle.

In addition, they also have some varieties and varieties, such as dragon claw locusts, butterfly locusts, golden leaf Guohuai, and Jinzhi Guohuai, which are all relatives of Chinese locust, and locusting also has purple flowers and gold leaf varieties.

Dragon claw locust in Guohuai

Chinese locust's relative butterfly locust

Purple Robe '

Golden leaf varieties of locusting ‘Frisia’

Why

Now we know that it is the Chinese locust in the streets and alleys recently. As for the reason, some experts said that it is likely to be due to the impact of the climate.

"From this spring to the early summer, the northern precipitation is very small, which is particularly drought, which inhibits the nutrition growth of Chinese locust, and promotes reproductive growth. Ye Nv Jun also had such a phenomenon, and there were many flowers and seeds.

Chen Yuchu, chairman of the Hangzhou Aquatic Botanical Society, also said that if the rainfall is severe, it will have a certain threat to the survival of plants. In order to consider itself, the plant will quickly turn to reproductive growth to facilitate the survival of the population.

Flower flowers.

According to Dr. Cong Richen of the Beijing Academy of Sciences, the flower bud differentiation of general wooden plants is divided into two types: summer and autumn differentiation and spring differentiation. Flower bud differentiation was completed in the summer and autumn of the previous year, such as peach blossoms, pear blossoms, apricot flowers, cherry blossoms, magnolia, etc., you can now see magnolia. Flower bud differentiation is performed in spring, such as Lagerstroemia, rose, hibiscus, and Chinese locust. "So, the popcorn of Chinese locusts should be directly related to the climate of this spring," he said. In Cong Richen's view, it is understood that the flower bud differentiation characteristics of plants are instructed for trees trimming and promoting flowering. For example, flowers such as rose, Lagerstroemia, and hibiscus can be trimmed heavier in the autumn and winter of the previous year to promote more branches. Because many of their flowers are germinated on the branches of the year, this can increase the amount of flowering.

Peach blossoms, apricot flowers, cherry blossoms, and magnolia cannot be trimmed in autumn and winter, because in autumn and winter, these plants have completed the differentiation of flower buds. Too much trimming means removing the flower branches and affecting the flow of flowers in the next year. Their pruning work is generally mainly removed and excessive branches.

As for whether the flowering flowers of the Chinese locust are good or bad, different people have different opinions.

Some practitioners believe that there are few plants that bloom in summer, especially the big trees, and it is lucky to see such a spectacular scene with flowers and flowers. Some people also said that the effect of flowering is okay, but it is troublesome when you thank you. In addition, the amount of spending will attract more pests such as aphids, produce more secretions and pollute the environment. Many cars parked under Guohuai have been covered with a layer of sticky dirt.

The locust flower climbing aphid.

The car parked under the Chinese locust not only covered with petals and leaves, but also a layer of aphid secretion.

What do you think of it? Are you willing to see the flowers full of trees, or do you want it to be a green man quietly?

(Reporter Li Xin writes, pictures of pictures: Xiao Liu, Tian Dong, Species Calendar, Li Xin)

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