The lungwort (Pulmonaria) is a low herbaceous perennial from the Burachnikov family. There are about 15 species of this plant. In nature, lungwort grows in the forests of Eurasia. There are several more names for lungwort: lungwort, pulmonary herb, honeywort or honeydew.
Description of the plant lungwort
Lungwort is a herbaceous perennial that grows from 8 cm to 50 cm in height. Rhizome branched, horizontally located. The roots are fleshy, cord-like, break very easily and take a long time to recover. The foliage of the plant is large, long-petiolate and basal, forming a rosette. The leaves are whole, pointed to the tip, can be either linear-lanceolate or broad-lanceolate. Basal leaves are much larger than stem leaves and there are more of them. Erect leafy colors grow earlier than basal foliage.
Flowers can be white, purple, pink, blue or light blue. Double perianth with a bell-shaped five-toothed calyx, a funnel-shaped five-lobed corolla with a tube, an open pharynx from which hairy bundles grow (5 pieces). Flowers are collected in an apical inflorescence-curl. The lungwort has a huge difference from other flowering plants, the color of the flower buds may differ from each other. For example, a purple bud may open blue. It also happens that flowers of different shades bloom on the same bush.
The flowering of lungwort occurs in the spring. Pollination occurs at the expense of insects that have long proboscis. The fruit is a nut, which breaks down during ripening into 4 lobes, which have fleshy seedlings.
Planting lungwort in open ground
The lungwort loves cool shade or partial shade. Due to direct sunlight and intense heat on the plant, the flowers of the lungwort will lose their brightness and become dimmer. It is best to choose loose sandy loam or loamy soil with humus content, neutral, alkaline or slightly acidic reaction. Before planting lungwort in the garden, the soil must be carefully dug up, removing the prefabricated grass and adding organic fertilizers. Compost or humus are great organic fertilizers.
An excellent time for planting lungwort in open ground is that period of spring when the soil is already saturated with moisture from melting snow. And seedlings can be planted at a time when the soil warms up enough, and night frosts will definitely not return. You need to purchase seedlings only in proven pavilions and agricultural firms. In such places, professionals usually give competent advice on how to properly plant and care for lungwort seedlings.
It is necessary to choose saplings of lungwort carefully. Damaged seedlings with obvious signs of disease are not suitable for growing and it is unlikely that they will be able to grow a healthy and beautiful bush.
After digging and fertilizing, you need to prepare pits for planting seedlings, the distance between them should be about 20-30 cm.The depth of the hole should be such that the root system can easily fit into it.
If water can stagnate on the site, then it is best to make a good drainage layer in the holes using coarse sand, pebbles or crushed stone. Then you need to place a seedling in the middle of the hole and fill the empty spaces with garden soil, compact a little and water it abundantly.
Care of lungwort in the garden
Watering
If you choose the right place for planting lungwort, then you practically won't have to care for it. Watering the plant should be regular. It is necessary to maintain the soil in a moderately moist state, but avoiding waterlogging and stagnation of moisture. It is very important to observe the watering regime during the formation of the buds.
Mulching
If the plant grows in partial shade, then the moisture evaporates more slowly and too frequent watering is not needed. But for plants that grow in the sun, mulching with organic materials is imperative. The thickness of such a layer should be about 5 cm. Mulching will help not only to reduce the evaporation time, but also to stop the growth of weeds. Mature shrubs of the plant are no longer as demanding for watering as young seedlings.
Fertilization
It is necessary to feed the plant with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer once a season - in the spring. It is at the time when the leaves are actively growing.
Pruning
When the flowering period of the lungwort is over, it is necessary to carefully trim the dried flowers. The same can be done with yellowed and dried leaves. Before the onset of frost, the plant must be covered with a thick layer of dry leaves, sawdust or spruce branches.
Diseases and pests
The lungwort is extremely rarely exposed to various diseases and attacks of harmful insects. But if the planting site is not suitable and the care of the plant is not correct, then it can get sick with various diseases: due to improper watering or a rainy summer, the plant can be affected by root rot or powdery mildew. Plants on which signs of the disease are found must be removed from the flower garden and burned outside its territory, and healthy plants must be treated with solutions of special fungicides.
Of the pests, snails and slugs can attack the lungwort. They appear when the soil is waterlogged or in a very rainy summer. If pests attacked the plant in large numbers, then it must be treated with a special preparation. If the situation is not very neglected, then you can get rid of the pests with the help of manual collection or traps. You can use a can of beer dug into the ground as a trap. Slugs and snails will crawl to the smell of beer and fall into a trap from which they cannot get out.
Types and varieties of lungwort
Lungwort (Pulmonaria vallarsae) - this species is very rare. The leaves of this plant are drooping lanceolate, up to 20 cm long, up to 10 cm wide, covered with spots of a silvery shade. Chromaticities grow up to 45 cm in height. The flowers are purple-red. This species is the basis from which the plant was bred with silvery leaves. The most popular varieties of this type:
- Margery Fish - the plant is particularly hardy. The leaves are green below and silvery on top.
Long-leaved lungwort (Pulmonaria longifolia) - grows up to 25 cm in height. The leaves are beautiful lanceolate or lanceolate-arrow-shaped, up to 1.5 m long and up to 6 cm wide. Above, the leaves are slightly lowered and have a dark green color with spots of a silvery hue, and below the leaves are dense and have a gray-green tint. The flowers bloom pink but turn blue over time. Flowering begins in April.
Red lungwort (Pulmonaria rubra) - this species has a long rhizome. The flowering of this species is abundant and long. The flowers are bright red. The leaves are narrow, glossy, light green in color. The plant needs shelter for the winter as it is sensitive to low temperatures.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) - grows up to 30 cm in height.Stems are weak, the leaves are alternate, green with white spots, basal leaves are ovoid-heart-shaped, long-petiolate. The flowers have a red tint at first, but over time they become lilac.
The soft lungwort (Pulmonaria mollis), or the softest lungwort (Pulmonaria mollissima = Pulmonaria montana) - the rhizome of this plant is short. The bush can grow up to 55 cm in height. Leaves are silvery green. The flowers are bluish-lilac.
Medicinal properties of lungwort
The plant contains many substances useful for the human body. The lungwort is used as a remedy for various diseases of the respiratory tract. Also lungwort has a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, astringent, antiseptic, hemostatic and enveloping effect. Improves immune function.
They take medications with lungwort in the presence of gynecological diseases, cancer, bleeding and other diseases. But it is important to know that before taking such drugs, it is imperative to consult a doctor.
Contraindications include only individual intolerance. There are no other contraindications.
