Blackroot

Blackroot (Cynoglossum) is a perennial herb from the Borage family. No less popular names among the people are "night blindness", "burdock", "henbane red" and "dog root". Since most blackroot species are unremarkable in appearance, the plant is often confused with weeds found in desert prairies, along roadside roads, or in meadows.

The medicinal properties of the herb have been known since antiquity. Blackroot is an effective folk remedy. Due to the sharp specific smell of roots and leaves, the black root plant is bypassed by mice and other rodents, harmful insects. Blackroot cultivated species can decorate empty corners in the garden. They will complement any flower bed and will look great next to other perennials.

Blackroot: plant description

The herbaceous perennial black root lets a powerful tap root rhizome underground. The length of the main stem reaches 0.4-1 m. The rhizome is colored red-brown. At the top of the shoot, branching is observed, which is a network of lateral processes that bloom with bright colorful buds. The ground parts are covered with a short, thick pile of a gray shade. Erect leafy stems. Although the main background of the foliage is green, the blades still appear gray due to the silvery villi on the surface. The leaves are attached to the shoots with petioles. The foliage is lanceolate or slightly oval. The size of the leaves does not exceed 20 cm.

In the second half of May, small buds bloom at the top of the bushes, which replace each other throughout the summer. Lush paniculate brushes are formed from the buds. At the first stage of development, the panicles look dense and shortened, and then an additional layer of corollas appears, and they become more elongated. The flower consists of a bright red, blue or pink corolla and delicate bent petals that close tightly around the center of the calyx. The calyx diameter ranges from 5 to 7 mm. When the pollination process comes to an end, thorny nuts with thorns sticking out are ripening.

The plant has a pungent, repulsive odor, similar to mouse urine. Herbal juice is considered to be very poisonous. For this reason, agrotechnical work on caring for blackroot should end with washing and disinfecting hands. To prevent cases of poisoning, it is best to keep the plant away from children and animals.

Types and varieties of black root with photo

There are more than 80 species in the blackroot genus, some of which deserve special attention and consideration.

Blackroot officinalis (Cynoglossum officinale)

The height of the flower is approaching one meter. The stems branch widely to the sides. Lanceolate leaves with a fleece layer of felt are placed in opposite order along the length of the shoot.At the beginning of summer, the ends of the shoots are decorated with purple panicle inflorescences with a reddish tint. The corolla is funnel-shaped. Thin petals stick out on the sides of the cup, and a peephole peeps out inside. Traditional healers have long noticed the "canine root". Many also use it for household purposes to fight rats and mice in the garden.

Pleasant black root (Cynoglossum amabile)

It belongs to annual plants and looks like spreading lush bushes up to 0.5 m high. The leaves and stems are covered with a protective gray pile. The diameter of the flowers is not more than 1.5 cm. The blue panicles gradually increase in volume.

Blackroot Cretan (Cynoglossum creticum)

The height of the mentioned annual is in the range of 30-60 cm. In the center of the bush is the main strong shoot, near the base of which oval leaves are concentrated. The opposite sessile-type leaves, painted in a dark green tint, stick out along the shoot. The growth surface contains a layer of felt. Blooming of the buds occurs at the end of August. At the peak of flowering, the panicles are in the shape of a spiral. The tone of the petals is white, after which the color of the calyx becomes blue or pink.

German black root (Cynoglossum germanicum)

The shoots of Germanic blackroot are presented in green tones, but they have a gray tint. The foliage completely surrounds the bush. At the top of the shoots in the middle of summer, small lilac buds open.

Growing a blackroot

Indoor and outdoor blackroot species are grown by seed. The material is harvested from annual or biennial plants. Ripe nuts - the fruit of the black root - are filled with thorny seeds and can crumble on their own. Since Borage are characterized by a high degree of frost resistance, blackroot seeds are sown directly into the ground without any intermediate procedures. For autumn sowing, grooves are dug with a depth of 2 to 3 cm. Crops are moistened as needed.

The emergence of seedlings is expected in early spring, when long basal leaves begin to rise above the soil. Seedlings are transplanted together with an earthen clod, and for acceleration, a growth stimulator "Kornevin" is used, which is added to a new planting hole.

Blackroot care

Caring for a blackroot is quite simple. Unpretentiousness and drought resistance are the main qualities of the plant. Conditions of prolonged sultry heat or, conversely, the onset of frost are considered harmless to the flower. However, it is important to plant blackroot bushes in lighted fertile areas of the garden, where there is a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. Otherwise, the substrate is diluted with lime. The site is pre-dug, improving the drainage properties of the soil and breaking up large clods of earth.

Changes in ambient temperature or drafts will not cause much harm to the bushes. The grown stems need a garter and support.

Drought is more easily tolerated by the grass than stagnant moisture in the root zone. Watering is carried out only occasionally. It is enough to moisten the roots once a week if there is no rain. During budding, the amount of irrigation water doubles, otherwise the flowering will not be as abundant.

Top dressing of the "dog root" is done in the second year of life, when the soil is enriched in the spring or summer with organic matter or mineral complexes.

It is allowed not to carry out activities for pruning the black root, since the bushes keep their shape and increase the mass only in the upper part. We are talking about the emergence of new buds and the elongation of flowering panicles.

Parasitic attacks and disease susceptibility rarely overtake the plant. Blackroot can be safely called that very natural "insecticide", which is used in the fight against slugs, moths, mosquitoes and other pests hiding in the garden.

Blackroot for mice and other pests

Many gardeners, familiar with the properties of "burr", often sow perennial black root in garden plots in order to get rid of mice, rodents, moles and save the harvest of vegetable crops. The sharp obsessive smell of black root grass scares off annoying insects, mice, rats and other animals. The dried raw material has a subtle aroma.

Cynoglossum dryers are organized in basements, sheds and attics. Herbal decoction is added to the whitewash when painting the walls. Bunches of dried black root herb are tied around tree trunks to protect the bark from rodents. To scare away moles, seeds are poured into earthen burrows. Upon contact with the juice, the animal dies. Alkaloids are present in the tissues, which, evaporating, like a paralytic, immobilize the victim.

Medicinal properties of blackroot

Blackroot contains resins, essential oils, alkaloids, dyes and tannins. For medicinal purposes, rhizomes and shoots of blackroot are harvested. Compresses and ointments heal wounds, burns, relieve inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Cinoglossum baths relieve pain in fractures.

Blackroot in landscape design

Blackroot serves as an ornament for flower beds, mixborders and other motley flower beds. As neighbors next to the plant are often asters, echinacea, matthiola and verbena... Perennial bouquet arrangements look no less impressive.