Already at the end of April, yellow stars appear along forest glades and ravines, along edges and meadows. bloomed goose onion. Its leaves are similar, rather, to the leaves of garlic. Yes, and the taste and smell of garlic plants. There are only two leaves, they are lanceolate - narrow and long, with parallel veins. One, basal - wider and longer, it hugs the stem; the second, growing higher, is narrower and shorter. Goose onions belong to the same lily family as other types of onions and garlic.

Flowering goose onion

These are fairly common early flowering plants, perennial ephemeroids. In the soil, the plant has one or two interconnected bulbs small size. The above-ground part appears only in spring. The genus is quite extensive. Plants are distributed almost throughout the temperate zone of Eurasia. They are found in semi-deserts, steppes, and in mountainous areas. And, of course, in the forest zone. Two species can be found in our forests: yellow goose onion (Gagea lutea) and small goose onion (Gagea minima).

The Russian name is undoubtedly associated with the observation of how willingly arriving in the spring geese pluck this grass. Cattle in the pasture also did not deny themselves this pleasure. Well, man has also been “plucking” it for a long time, collecting spring shoots and digging up bulbs. There is information about a certain medicinal value plants. As a spring source of vitamins, it is undoubtedly useful. However, these observations were possible at a time when the goose onion was a really common plant. Excessive fees have led to the fact that it is becoming increasingly rare.

Yellow goose onion (Gagea lutea)

This is a common forest plant. It occurs in deciduous forests, in oak forests, thickets of shrubs. Prefers fairly fertile soils. The yellow goose onion has only one bulb. Having grown from a seed, it germinates in the upper layer of the soil, and in the spring it can be washed away by streams of water and transferred to a new place. Rooted there, the plant does not bloom for the first five years. In the spring, it, having thrown its lanceolate leaves towards the light, actively reproduces vegetatively - forming daughter bulbs. In the sixth year, in addition to the leaves, a peduncle appears. The plant loses the ability to reproduce vegetatively. Flowers open on a peduncle in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence.

Like other lilies, goose onion flowers have a simple perianth of colored leaflets. The goose bow has six of them, and they form two circles. The tepals are yellow on the inside, greenish on the outside. There are also six stamens, the stigma of the pistil is three-lobed. The flower is quite large - up to 2-3 cm in diameter. Between the base of the stamens and the tepals, nectar is secreted, which attracts pollinating insects. In addition to bees, flies and beetles also collect it. It is curious that only the very first flowers in the inflorescence (they are also central) produce seeds well. Those that appear later produce mostly pollen. This is probably the first "step" in evolution towards the emergence of dioecious flowers.

In May - June, fruits (boxes) and seeds in them ripen. Seeds are equipped with appendages - elaiosomes. They attract ants. It is the ants, taking away the seeds and losing them, that contribute to the resettlement of the goose onion. Such a phenomenon in biology is called myrmekochory (from the Greek words "myrmekos" - an ant and "choreo" - to spread). Many early-flowering plants are myrmecochores:, hoof,. As you can see, yellow goose onions are also among them. After the fruits ripen, the aerial part of the plant dies off.

What's in life cycle goose bow there are two stages: period vegetative propagation and the period of seed reproduction is undoubtedly an adaptation to a wider settling. With the help of seeds and bulbs of the first year, it is possible to spread further. And having taken root, due to the formation of daughter bulbs, the goose onion already forms a small community, a group. By the way, sometimes "kids" can develop instead of flowers.

Small goose onion (Gagea minima)

As the name itself says, the plant is smaller than its relative in size. Less and its flowers. Already leaves. Other than that, they are similar in appearance. But the small goose onion is already a plant of open spaces. It grows in meadows, in wastelands, in the forest - only on the edges and large glades. And the small goose onions have not one, but two onions. And the stem rises between them. And one more difference - starting to bloom, goose onions do not lose the ability to reproduce vegetatively.

Do not collect primroses!

The reason for the disappearance of many plant species from nature, in addition to the general deterioration of the ecological situation, is often simple human greed. Well, what if we pick a bunch of early flowers?! Yes, the fact is that there are a lot of “us”. And if we do not pick flowers ourselves, then we willingly buy them in the market. Well, we rejoiced at them for a day or two, and threw them away. Or received a portion of vitamins (very small, by the way!). And the plant did not have time to accumulate the necessary supply nutrients a year ahead and died. After all, most primroses have a very short vegetative period - they are ephemeroids! And the plants disappear. Forever! And no genetic engineering, no cloning will help here.

Many primroses are included in the Red Books of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, other countries, International Red Book. There are Red Books (or their equivalent) in most regions of Russia. For the collection of such plants rely and serious fines! True, with the implementation of laws (in Russia, at least) things are ... not very good. Only after all, the implementation of laws does not depend on state bodies alone. From the citizens themselves too!

Fragile, small, but very friendly and bright. Their stems against a faded background of any snowy litter and leafy rags only partially brighten up the untidy appearance, and it is not easy to see the first-born flora because of the overwintered greenery: a close, observant look is needed. But for those who managed to meet purple, blue and yellow flowers, they will be remembered and loved. Among such living news, look for goose herb, or yellow goose onion. We will talk about it today.

Goose bow: description

It is up to 30 centimeters high, which belongs to It is distinguished by small yellow tulip-like flowers, collected in one umbrella inflorescence, broad-leaved basal leaves with a sharp top and small bulbs. As a rule, the length of the leaves is greater than the length of the flowers.

The flowering time of the plant is in the middle of spring. The fruit is a box. Goose onion intensively reproduces by pollination, as well as with the help of daughter bulbs formed in the axils of the leaves and on the bottom of the bulb.

Name

Once upon a time, when almost no one was picking flowers, goose onions, the photo of which is presented in this article, grew in abundance in glades and meadows, where flocks flew every spring in order to pinch the seedlings of this grass and take a break after a long flight. Thus the name of this early plant appeared.

Places of growth and types

Goose onions are widely distributed in North Africa, in addition, in the temperate regions of Eurasia. About a hundred species grow in the lands described above, of which four can be found on Russian territory:

Listed species predominantly grow in the European part of Russia, in addition, in Western Siberia. Humus fresh meadows, deciduous pastures, groves, banks of some rivers and streams are chosen.

Use in the garden

The above species are widespread native plants that are great for sprucing up irregular flower beds with cheerful blooms and fresh early greens. They look great in landscape parks, wild gardens, as well as on lawns.

Care

The plant grows under the canopy of trees and in sunny areas. Does not require special care, but feels especially good on fertile soil.

Medicinal properties

Goose onions, which are described in this article, are a great addition to a delicate spring salad. It will help get rid of beriberi. Fragrant fresh leaves are an invaluable treasure, which has concentrated a large number of trace elements and vitamins, so necessary for a weakened and tired body.

At the same time, goose onions are interesting not only for these qualities, but also for their healing properties. Since ancient times, bulbs and grass have been used to treat epilepsy, bronchial asthma, hepatitis and edema, dropsy, and pre-chopped bulbs - as a wound healing, stretching and antiseptic agent, since all parts of the plant are rich in garlic essential oils, which includes sulfur.

Use in medicine

In traditional medicine, fresh onions of this plant are used for medicinal purposes. As already mentioned, they contain essential oil which contains sulfur. The prepared decoction of the bulbs is drunk for hepatitis (jaundice), dropsy and asthma. Finely crushed onions are gently applied to wounds, which leads to rapid healing.

It is worth noting that goose onions are completely edible: young onions and leaves are added to vegetable soups and spring salads, boiled and baked onions are also eaten. The onions that were dried earlier were ground, added to the flour when baking bread.

Dosage forms

Most often in medicinal purposes use the root part of this plant (bulb). It concentrates to a greater extent a number of different useful substances: sugars, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, saponins, a huge complex of trace elements and vitamins, organic acids. Most often, the leaves are used to prepare all kinds of salads, soups and other spicy dishes.

Bulbs are harvested in early spring, even before the plant begins to bloom, or in late autumn. Collection for food purposes is carried out in early summer. Universal onion broth is used for internal use, various insect bites are treated with juice, grated or chopped onions are applied to poorly healing ulcers and foci of inflammation.

decoction recipe

In order to prepare this universal decoction, you need to take one spoonful of fresh, finely chopped onions, pour 100 g of them hot water and cook on low heat for about 3-5 minutes. Then let cool and strain the contents. Healing infusion is recommended to use one spoon 5 times a day. The finished product should be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 36 hours.

To prepare a decoction for epileptic seizures, you need to boil half a glass of medium-fat milk, add a few onions there, and then cook everything for 5 minutes. Then strain, cool and take two teaspoons three times a day. The funds are taken in courses (2 weeks of admission should be alternated with a monthly break, it depends on the severity of the disease).

Cosmetic use

Goose onion is used in cosmetology. It is used to improve hair growth, for which you can prepare a mask. In this case, you will need 4 tablespoons of onion gruel, which must be mixed with 30 mg of liquid honey. The resulting mass is then carefully rubbed into the roots of the scalp and left for about 30 minutes, after which it is washed off using shampoo.

Goose onion is also useful for making a face mask. In case you have skin with enlarged pores, the following recipe will help you. Finely chopped onions should be mixed with honey, then the resulting gruel should be applied to the skin for about 10 minutes, while avoiding the eye area. Then it should be washed off well with cool running water. It is worth noting that with acne, you can add the yolk of an egg instead of a bee product.

Goose onion juice is used in the presence of age spots on the skin. To do this, it is applied to the affected area, for example, freckles, three times a day. Further, it is not recommended to go out into the open sun for several hours.

Contraindications

Goose onion has no contraindications for use, in addition, there are no side effects from its application. Sometimes it is possible to develop an allergy to some components due to individual intolerance.

Conclusion

Most likely, many people have tried this bow. It is absolutely not bitter, has a pleasant aroma and taste. It is often grown in gardens as ornamental culture also used in cooking. You can use it as an independent product, as well as adding goose to vegetables in salads, the book of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region includes it in the list of plants that are on the verge of extinction.

Goose onion is a bulbous herbaceous honey plant belonging to the lily family. Appearance its rather modest, but the plant looks great in a rocky garden and feels great in flower arrangements. Often it is also used as a border. In nature, there are more than a hundred of its species, and most often the plant is found in Eurasia and North Africa. The goose onion blooms in early spring, which is why it is popularly called the yellow snowdrop.

The goose onion flower reaches a height of 35 cm. Its inflorescences are umbellate, and the flowers themselves are small yellow stars. The leaves of the goose onion plant are narrow and long, much longer than the inflorescence itself. Goose onions propagate with the help of children, which are formed from the main bulb. In summer, the fruits of goose onions ripen in the form of trihedral boxes with seeds. After flowering, the aerial part of the plant dies off.

The most common are such species as goose onions yellow, bulbous, small, reddish. In decorative garden landscaping, yellow goose onions are most often used. The plant is quite hardy, loves sunny places, fertile, loose soil that does not retain water.

goose onion yellow

Yellow goose onion grows in forests, oak forests, groves and dense shrubs. It has a small ovoid bulb up to 10 mm in diameter, covered with brown-gray scales. Its stem grows up to 30 cm. broad leaves longer than inflorescences. Under the inflorescence, it usually has two leaves: one growing above the inflorescence, and the second, smaller, shorter than the inflorescence. The inflorescence itself consists of 8-10 pale yellow flowers, and outside they are generally greenish. Yellow goose onion blooms in March-April.

In summer, the plant begins a dormant period. And by the beginning of autumn, the next year's shoot is fully formed at the goose onion. The tops of its leaves begin to resemble a hard point, helping the plant to break through frozen soil, snow or ice crust in early spring.

The growing season of the goose yellow onion lasts only 2-3 weeks. Its yellow flowers open at 10 am and close at 5 pm. In cloudy or rainy weather, they do not open at all.

In the description of the yellow goose onion, one can find interesting periods of its reproduction. During the first period, even before flowering, there is increased reproduction and the formation of children that appear at the base of the mother bulb. These small bulbs formed do not germinate in the next, but only in the third year. In the spring of the fourth and fifth year, the bulbs continue to grow, and only in the spring of the sixth year the plant blooms and the second period of the life of the goose onion begins. Daughter bulbs can no longer form in him, and reproduction continues only with the help of seeds. Such bulbs, grown from seeds, are located for several years on the very surface of the soil and are easily washed off by rain or flood waters. and transported over long distances. And the babies are formed at the same depth as the mother bulbs, that is, they cannot be washed deeper and washed out by rains, but slowly settle over short distances. These two methods of propagation of the yellow goose onion contribute to the wide distribution of this species in the wild.

Yellow goose onion seeds are sown before winter. If you want to grow a plant from children, then it is best to scatter the bulbs in the area where it is already growing. lawn grass and lightly dig the bulbs into the ground. With this planting, you will get a beautiful natural carpet of starry scattering of yellow flowers of decorative goose onion on a green field of grass.

Goose onion (or gagea, gageya) - perennial bulbous plant height from ten to thirty centimeters, belongs to the lily family. Characterized by small tulip-like yellow flowers, collected in an umbrella inflorescence (from 1 to 5-7 in an inflorescence), small bulbs and basal broadly linear leaves with a pointed tip. The length of the leaves, as a rule, exceeds the length of the flowers.

The flowering period of goose onions falls on April and May. The fruit is a box. The plant reproduces intensively by pollination and with the help of daughter bulbs formed in the axils of the leaves and on the bottom of the mother bulb.

Goose onion - types and places of growth

The goose onion is widespread in North Africa and the temperate regions of the Eurasian continent. About 100 species live within the above lands, four of them can be found on the territory of Russia:

- small goose onion;
- goose onion yellow;
- bulbous goose onion;
- goose onion reddish.

The listed species grow mainly in the European part of our country, as well as in Western Siberia. They prefer fresh humus soils, deciduous forests, alluvial meadows, pastures, forest edges, dense vegetation, groves, banks of streams and some rivers.

Goose onion - medicinal properties

Goose onions are a great addition to a spring salad. It is he who will help to cope with beriberi. Fresh fragrant leaves are an invaluable treasure that has concentrated a huge amount of essential vitamins and microelements so necessary for a tired and weakened body.

However, goose onions are valuable not only for their nutritional qualities, but also healing properties. Since ancient times, grass and bulbs have been used to treat bronchial asthma, hepatitis, dropsy, edema and epilepsy, and chopped bulbs (externally) - as an antiseptic, pulling and wound healing agent. After all, all parts of the goose onion are rich in essential garlic oils, which include sulfur.

Goose onion - dosage forms

For medicinal purposes, the root part of the plant, that is, the bulb, is most often used. It is she who concentrates a number of useful substances to a greater extent: fiber, sugars, phosphorus, calcium, saponins, organic acids and a huge complex of vitamins and microelements. The leaves are most often used to prepare various soups, salads and other spicy dishes.

Bulbs are harvested in early spring, before flowering, or in late autumn. For food purposes, the collection is made in late spring and early summer. For internal use, a universal onion decoction is used, insect bites are treated with juice, chopped or grated onions are tied to foci of inflammation and poorly healing ulcers.

Goose onion - decoction recipe

In order to prepare a universal decoction, you need to take a tablespoon of fresh chopped onions, pour 100 g of them. boiling water and cook, stirring, over very low heat for three to five minutes. Then let cool to room temperature and strain the contents. It is recommended to use a healing infusion at one table. spoon 3-6 p. in a day. The broth should be stored at a temperature not exceeding 25 degrees or in the refrigerator for no more than 24-36 hours.

A decoction to prevent epileptic seizures: to prepare it, you need to boil 130 gr. medium-fat milk, add a few onions and cook for 5 minutes. Then strain, cool and take 2-3 teaspoons three times a day. The medication is taken in courses (two weeks of taking alternate with a 1-2 month break, depending on the severity of the disease).

Goose onion - contraindications

There are no contraindications to the use of preparations based on goose onion, side effects are not observed. In some cases, it is possible to develop an allergic reaction to certain components due to individual intolerance.

One of the first that delights in the spring with its bright color, so many people want to see it in their own or just on. But, despite the pickiness, it still requires proper fit, and care.

Short description

This is a plant of the lily family. It has several names: bird's onion, yellow snowdrop, yellow gagea, yellow flower, yellow bell.

Did you know? One of the names of the plant Gagea comes from the name of the famous 19th century botanist T. Gage.

In order to distinguish it from others, you need to know the description of the goose bow.

He has: one oval bulb with gray shells; bare stem up to 24 cm high; basal leaf up to 1 cm wide, above the inflorescence; upper leaf sharp at the end, or linear, lanceolate; the inflorescence is represented by yellow-green flowers in the form of an umbrella.

There can be up to 16 flowers on 1 inflorescence, the lower side is green, the upper side is yellow, the perianth segments are pointed, broad-leaved, up to 1.5 cm long, there are stamens, anthers and ovaries inside. The goose onion fruit is a small box with three sides. It grows in Eurasia and a little North Africa. Pollination and seed distribution occurs with the help of. But they can also reproduce by the appearance of daughter bulbs. Goose onions can be used both in cooking and in cosmetology.

Location selection

The yellow snowdrop grows both as a "wild" plant and as. You can meet him in, on the outskirts of fields, meadows, rocky terrain, ravines, along rivers and roads, in deciduous forests, parks and gardens.

Favorable for this plant will be fresh, loose, with a sufficient amount and normal water balance, the land that will not retain water.
should be moderate. An excellent option is to land in places where there is. Since it is not picky to care for, it can be made from it, or planted along the border. When humus with sufficient lighting, it can grow almost anywhere.

Yellow goose onions propagate with the help of bulbs and. The first produce daughter bulbs, they germinate in the third year after formation, in the following years they give a particularly large offspring, but after the sixth they can only spread by seed. Dividing the nest of daughter bulbs is only after the leaves have withered.

Before planting, it is advisable to soak the bulbs in a solution, after drying, place in a pot or box and store in a cool, dark place. Thus, by the time of disembarkation, they will be in a "sleeping" state.
Bulbs should not be buried deep at a distance of 2-3 cm, the space between plants should not be less than 10-15 cm. Planting should be carried out in autumn, preferably in September.

Since this plant also grows wild, planting and caring for goose onions does not require much effort, but there are still a few rules that should be followed:

  1. Moderate. The plant is moisture-loving, but excessive moisture can lead to rotting of the flower. Therefore, you need to regularly, but with a small amount of water, and use it, which does not delay it.
  2. Transfer. You can repot the plant at any time, even during flowering. But at the same time, it is necessary to cut off the flowers so that the plant does not waste energy on the formation of a box, but “focuses” on taking root in a new place.
  3. Quantity. Many, planted next to each other, can lead to the fact that goose onions turn into, which will be very difficult to get rid of.

When planted in the right place and following these tips, goose onions will bloom for many years.

When and how it blooms

The second name of the goose onion, namely the yellow snowdrop, he received from the period of early flowering.

Important! Flowering begins in April and lasts until May-June, then fruits in the form of boxes and seeds in them ripen.

The inflorescence is represented by small yellow flowers from 2 to 16 pieces per plant. The perianth consists of 6 colored leaflets that create 2 circles. Towards the middle they are more yellow, greenish at the edges, flowers are 2-4 cm in size.
Inside there are 6 stamens and a stigma. Nectar is secreted between the stamens and leaves, which attracts insects.

Combination with other plants

Since this plant is used as a decorative element in, on


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