——Preface·]—
Since ancient times, the issue of how to promote the normal management and development of farmland has always been one of the important issues in agricultural production. Among the hindrance factors that hinder the normal growth of farmland, there is a key factor that has been deeply hated by many experts and farmers. This obstacle is called "weed". Yes, that's right, weeds.
As a competitor to the crops in the field for nutrition, the presence of weeds is undoubtedly an obstacle that must be eradicated in agricultural production. However, as the saying goes, "weeds cannot be removed, and the spring breeze blows and grows again", there has been no way to completely remove weeds, and can only be curbed by artificial means.
And among these weeds, there is a weed that has a very unique appearance. It has a certain economic value in its own right, but even so, it is still hated by many farmers. So, what exactly is the true identity of this weed?Why is it still hated by the peasants when it has a certain economic output?
- A peculiar shape of cattails
Let's talk about a truth that everyone knows, that is, there are always plants that grow in nature, and there are always a few plants that are strange that you can't imagine. These plants with strange appearances or tastes have also become the inspiration for many literary and creative works**. The plant we introduced today was once used as a prototype in an online game. This plant is called "cattail".
I believe that many people are familiar with this plant, after all, cattails are still widely distributed in our country, and it is a very common plant in rural villages. Cattails are biologically classified as one of the 12 plant species of the genus Cattails. And if you want to divide it macroscopically, cattails are a kind of angiosperm.
As mentioned earlier, cattails are widely distributed in our country, basically in the south and north of our country can find traces of cattails, and even in many countries outside our country, you can find traces of cattails.
Cattails are an aquatic plant and are also a perennial growing plant. Since cattails grow in water, the roots of cattails are divided into two parts: underwater and above. The rhizome under water, its professional name is "rhizome". The rhizomes of cattails are two colors, the rhizomes under the water are white and the rhizomes on the water are green.
The rhizomes of cattails are very thick and firmly rooted in the soil beneath the water. On the surface of the water, we can see the cattail rhizomes, which are green on the outside. Biologically, this rhizome is called an "above-ground stem".
The rhizomes of cattails range from the bottom to the top, and their shape ranges from thick to fine. The rhizomes on the ground can grow to a height of more than 1 meter, and the approximate height under the water depends on the depth of the water in which they grow.
At this point, you may wonder that cattails do not have any particularly outstanding appearance. In fact, the rhizome of cattails is indeed a very ordinary plant appearance, and its most special and most famous thing is its inflorescence part.
First of all, cattails have a very obvious difference from other plants, and this difference is that cattails do not have flowers. In other words, cattails do not rely on bees for pollination in the same way that ordinary plants do.
The way cattails reproduce is by relying on their inflorescences. It is also one of the most unique places in the shape of cattails, if you just look at the inflorescence of cattails, many people can't help but compare it with the sausage, the food we usually eat every day. In fact, the shape and color of the inflorescences and sausages of cattails are too similar.
The inflorescence of cattails is also non-two-parted, the bottom part is a female inflorescence, and the top part is a male inflorescence. Together, these two parts form the inflorescence of cattails, which is what we outsiders call "sausages".
Although there is no need for flower petals for pollination, the reproduction of cattails still needs to be pollinated, but the pollination of cattails is done independently. The propagation of cattails depends mainly on the female inflorescence part of its lower part. The months from May to August are the flowering and fruiting period of the year.
During this period, the inflorescences of cattails enter the ripening stage. The bottom of the cattail inflorescence is mainly used to grow cattail seeds, which will swell rapidly when mature, and then **. Let the seeds that grow disperse to any place with the wind, let the seeds take root in the ground, and complete the biological reproduction of cattails.
So during this period, if a human pinched the female inflorescence with his hand, it would happen. The male inflorescence in the upper part is not without changes. The shape of the male inflorescence changes, and the male inflorescence grows yellow hairy things, which are called "puff velvet".
After the cattail has completed reproduction, its female inflorescence will disappear completely, and all the seeds inside will float away, and finally only the smooth rhizome of the cattail will be left, waiting for the next year's growth.
——The use of cattails·]—
Cattail is a plant whose advantages and disadvantages are very prominent, in other words, the positive and negative aspects of cattails for us humans are very typical. Let's start with the disadvantages of cattails, which are aquatic plants that grow mainly near water sources in the wild.
Farmland also needs to be close to water sources, especially rice fields, which have abundant water sources, so cattails are a competitive plant for crops on the growing ground. In addition, the vitality of cattails is very tenacious. Cattails produce many seeds when they are ripe, and these seeds are scattered all over the place by the wind. With cattail's extremely high environmental adaptability, as well as cattail's well-developed root system.
So that cattails can quickly occupy the niche of the wild environment, squeeze the living space of crops, and bring difficulties to agricultural production. The farmers were very bored, and it took a lot of effort to eradicate the cattails that encroached on the farmland. Therefore, for farmers, cattails are a kind of pest grass that needs to be carried out manually.
The same benefits of cattails are obvious, the first advantage is that cattails can be used as a refreshing wild vegetable. The rhizomes of cattails, especially the rhizomes of the young age. Because of the rhizome of the cattail, which is white in color, it has a nice nickname in the wild vegetable market, called "ivory".
Ivory vegetables are very popular with people, and in the vegetable market, the ** of ivory vegetables is also very objective. The dishes made from ivory vegetables are also delicious and refreshing. The second advantage of cattails is that the inflorescences of cattails can be processed as raw materials for illustration paints. The leaves of cattails, that is, cattail leaves, can be cut off.
These harvested leaves can be used for handicrafts and daily necessities after being dried and dehydrated. The familiar straw mats and straw sandals are made from cattail leaves. Even though everyday necessities such as straw sandals have withdrawn from the daily needs of the public, the demand for corresponding handicrafts has greatly increased.
The remaining parts of the cattail can also be processed as industrial raw materials. They can be used as raw materials for paper production and are acquired by paper mills. These uses have changed the value of cattails dramatically. Although some farmers still see cattails as weeds for agricultural production, some farmers choose to grow cattails artificially and use them to earn money.
The output value of cattails is also very objective, and some farmers have created a record of tens of thousands of yuan in income per acre of cattail land. The last advantage of cattail is that it can be planted as an environmentally friendly plant in a reasonable and standardized manner. The root system of cattails is very developed, its vitality is very strong, and its adaptability to the environment is also very strong. Let cattails be a plant that stops soil erosion.
In addition, cattails also have a certain sewage purification capacity, which has a certain purification capacity for harmful substances in sewage. Cattails can be grown as a water purification plant.
-- Epilogue·] —
Cattail is a plant that stands out on both sides, and it has both good and bad sides. But it is undeniable that cattails are indeed a very interesting plant.