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Multiflorous kupena is an exquisite plant with touching drooping greenish bell flowers swaying from the slightest breath of wind. Due to the decorative foliage and the graceful bend of the stem, the flower is attractive at any time of the year.
Garden lily of the valley bushes bloom in May-June
Botanical description
Kupena multiflorum (Polugonatum multiflorum) is a perennial herb of the family. Asparagus. The flower is a close relative of the May lily of the valley. The perennial got its Latin name for the peculiar shape of the rhizome, the literal translation from Latin is "knee" and "many". Popular names of the plant are "garden lily of the valley", "forest hellebore", "Solomon's seal".
Kupena multiflorous reaches a height of 50-100 cm, has a stem bent by a rocker, ovoid glossy foliage of a bluish-green hue. Inflorescences protrude from the leaf axils in groups of 2-5 pieces on accrete pedicels. The buds are bought in a multi-flowered oblong shape, lowered down, held on thin stems. Flowers - bisexual, are medium-sized fragrant white bells with green teeth at the edges. The flowering period is about one and a half months, starting from mid-May. In summer, ovaries are formed in the form of ink-colored berries.
The root system of the multiflorous kupena is located superficially, expands horizontally. Over time, the roots become lignified, acquire a characteristic multi-generational structure. On the knotty rhizome, rounded "seals" are clearly visible - traces of dead shoots of previous years. At the end of the growing season, the foliage of the multiflorous kupen dries up, the buds overwinter on the rhizome in the ground, waking up in early spring.
Distribution area
Perennial is widespread in the wild in the European territory, in the Caucasus, grows everywhere in Siberia and the Far East. The bushes of the multiflower buy prefer semi-shady places in clearings and clearings, in deciduous and coniferous copses, and can grow in lowlands and ravines.
Poisonous multiflorous kupena or not
All parts of the flower contain plant alkaloids, the highest concentration of which is found in berries. Kupena multiflorous belongs to poisonous plants. If you accidentally eat the herb, you may experience indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations. Flower sap can burn the skin.
Application in landscape design
The endurance and unpretentiousness of the multi-flowered plant, the ability to grow in shaded areas of the garden, led to the widespread use of perennials in the creation of various compositions. In mixborders, the curved stems of the multiflorous plant look exquisitely in the neighborhood with bright-blooming perennials: phlox, daylilies, astilbe. Spring bulbs look great against the background of young green foliage of the plant.
Kupena multiflora is attractive against the background of wooden compositions and rocky landscape. Garden lily of the valley bushes are planted along the banks of artificial reservoirs along with iris-iris and forest geraniums. The multiflower kupena can become a decoration of the pharmaceutical garden, along with other medicinal plants: monarda, valerian, lemon balm.
Composition in a shady corner of the garden with a bushy multi-flowered
The ability of the rhizome plant to grow strongly in the shade of buildings is used to decorate spaces on the north side of buildings. By planting, kupena multiflora camouflages fences and other technical buildings, perennials are planted in the near-stem circles of fruit and ornamental shrubs.
Reproduction methods
Kupena multiflorous is propagated by seeds and dividing the rhizome. The seed of the flower can be removed by yourself or purchased at the store. The method of seed propagation is lengthy and painstaking; it is used when a large number of seedlings are required.
Seed propagation order:
- the grains are washed, dried;
- stratified in the lower compartment of the refrigerator for 30-45 days;
- sown in a sandy-peat substrate to a depth of 5 mm, kept in a cool room with t + 3-5 ˚С for 3-5 months;
- put the container with crops in a lighted place with t + 22-24 ˚C, cover with polyethylene or glass;
- arrange regular ventilation, the sprouts that appear are sprayed daily.
It is much easier to propagate the multiflower kupena in a vegetative way - by dividing the rhizome. The plant is dug out of the ground, the creeping root is divided into several parts with a sharp knife or shovel. Each kupena division must have a root system and a healthy bud. Vegetative breeding performs an additional function - the rejuvenation of the perennial, which the flower needs every 4-5 years.
Planting and caring for a multi-flowered bush
Garden lily of the valley is able to grow on poor soils, but it develops well and blooms fully on fertile loose soils in places located in partial shade. The flower does not tolerate stagnant water, the close occurrence of groundwater causes decay of the rhizome.
Landing terms and rules
Store-bought seedlings are placed outdoors in the spring. Bushes resulting from the division of the rhizome are planted in the soil in late August and early September. The prepared place is cleaned of weeds, dug up with the addition of organic matter.
The parts of the rhizome are laid horizontally in the prepared holes, to a depth of 7-10 cm, keeping the distance between the plants 20-30 cm. The plantings are lightly tamped, gently watered, making sure that part of the root does not appear on the surface of the earth. The bush begins to actively develop only after 2 years. Expanding in breadth, it forms a dense, annually blooming curtain.
Care features
The perennial is not capricious, does not require special attention to itself. Only young plants need weeding and loosening, work should be done carefully, trying not to damage the superficial root system. Replacing loosening with mulching gives good results. The flower needs to inhibit growth, an aggressive plant can oppress other plantings. Rejuvenation of the multiflorous kupena should be carried out regularly, old rhizomes at the age of 7-8 years do not take root well in a new place.
Young bushes of Kupena multiflorous are distinguished by abundant flowering
Watering and feeding schedule
Perennial is hygrophilous, but most of the year it can be content with the amount of moisture obtained from precipitation. Watering is carried out during the budding period, when the plant especially needs water, during dry periods, with significant drying out of the soil surface.
Kupena multiflora is fed with complex mineral fertilizer 2 times a year: during the period of bud formation and to support the bush after flowering. When grown on marginal soils, organic matter is introduced once a year in the form of humus.
Preparing for winter
Kupena multiflorous is capable of hibernating without shelter. The ground part dies off in autumn. Rhizome with dormant buds tolerates cold in the soil. In areas where frosty weather with a small snow cover is possible, the bushes are mulched with a sand-peat mixture.
Diseases and pests
Garden lily of the valley has a high immunity to fungal and viral diseases. Powdery mildew affects plants only during prolonged periods of cool, rainy weather. The flower is treated with a fungicide, after removing diseased leaf plates.
The succulent foliage of the multiflorous plant attracts leaf-eating parasites: caterpillars and insect larvae. For minor lesions, folk repellent infusions are used. Large colonies of pests are treated with contact insecticides. In rainy weather, the plant is attacked by slugs, which are fought with the drug "Metaldehyde".
In rare cases, the multiflorous kupena suffers from soil worms - nematodes. It is impossible to cure the plant, it has to be thrown away, the soil should be disinfected with the preparation "Fufanon".
Application of a multicolor buy
The medicinal properties of the flower have long been known to traditional healers. The plant sap contains valuable organic substances: alkaloids, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, fructose starch. The berries of the multiflorous kupena include cardiac glycosides.
In folk medicine
The medicinal plant has antimicrobial, hemostatic, analgesic properties. Folk recipes based on kupena multiflorous are used to curb the growth of benign neoplasms.
Decoctions and infusions of the plant help with such diseases:
- inflammation of the respiratory tract, bronchitis;
- joint diseases - arthritis, arthrosis, gout;
- problems with the heart and blood vessels, atherosclerosis;
- pathology of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, ulcer, colitis;
- with tumors - fibromas, myomas, prostate adenoma;
- rashes on the skin in the form of blisters and abscesses.
The blue-black berries of the plant contain cardiac glycosides
In other areas
Despite the presence of poisonous alkaloids, the multiflorous kupena is used in cooking. Young shoots are boiled, drained, then stewed. They are used as a side dish for meat dishes. The national Armenian appetizer is a spicy marinade made from the leaves and stems of the plant.
Conclusion
The unpretentious and graceful multiflorous kupena is popular with flower growers, thanks to the flower's ability to fill the shady corners of the garden plot, displacing weeds. Perennial is compatible with most ornamental plants, undemanding to care, little susceptible to disease. It is quite within the power of a novice amateur with little experience in growing flowers to cultivate and propagate the multiflorous kupena.
