A Detailed Guide to When Rapeseed Flowers Bloom and Their Benefits and Effects
Rapeseed flowers originate from Europe and Central Asia, and botanically belong to the annual herbaceous plants of the Brassicaceae family. They are widely cultivated in China, most abundantly in the Yangtze River basin and areas to the south. So when do rapeseed flowers bloom? What are their benefits and effects? In fact, rapeseed flower fields bloom at different times depending on the local climate. The specifics are as follows:
1. When do rapeseed flowers bloom
Because of differences in light and climate, the timing varies from place to place. In February and March, the rapeseed flowers of Luoping and Qingyuan. In March and April, the rapeseed flowers of Wuyuan and Guiyang. In April, the rapeseed flowers of Hanzhong and Jiangnan. In May, the rapeseed flowers of Beijing and the Beijing suburbs. In June, the rapeseed flowers of Ili in Xinjiang. In July, the rapeseed flowers of Menyuan in Qinghai.
The rapeseed plant grows upright in clumps, with green stems and yellow flowers. The basal leaves grow in a rosette arrangement, while the stem leaves are generally alternate, without stipules. The flowers are bisexual and radially symmetrical, with 4 petals arranged in a cross shape; the petals are like xuan paper in texture, a tender yellow and slightly thin. The stamens are usually 6, 4 long and 2 short, commonly called “tetradynamous stamens”; the pistil is composed of two carpels, with the ovary positioned high. The stem is cylindrical, mostly 0.1-0.8 cm in diameter, much branched, and the stalk is relatively soft; the leaves are alternate, large, dark green, with no petiole or stipules. Between March and April, flowers form at the tips of the stems. The flowers are in racemes, with four sepals, yellow-green, and a four-petaled yellow corolla in a cross shape. The fruit is a silique, which splits open in summer when ripe to release the seeds, which are purple-black, and sometimes yellow.
From south to north, the flowering period of rapeseed flowers unfolds in turn from January to August, as if enacting the periodic process of the angle of sunlight striking the land of China gradually rising and then gradually falling each year; the flowering times of rapeseed flowers in each region:
The flowering time of rapeseed flowers in Yunnan is in February and March each year, the flowering time of rapeseed flowers in Chongqing and Guizhou is in March each year, and the flowering time of rapeseed flowers in Shanghai and Jiangxi is from late March to early April each year.
The rapeseed flower has four petals neatly surrounding the flower center, with a plain character. The petals are very delicate, with fine veins that even the most skilled sculptor could not carve out. The flower center in the middle curves and gathers together, as if whispering secrets. It has tough roots and stems and dense leaves, with a simplicity and ruggedness like that of the farmers who plant them.
2. The benefits and effects of rapeseed flowers
1. Lowering blood lipids
Rapeseed is a low-fat vegetable and contains dietary fiber, which can bind with bile salts and with cholesterol and triglycerides in food and be excreted in the feces, thereby reducing the absorption of lipids, so it can be used to lower blood lipids. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that rapeseed can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and is used to treat boils and erysipelas.
2. Detoxifying and reducing swelling
The plant hormones contained in rapeseed can increase the formation of enzymes and have an adsorptive and repelling effect on carcinogens entering the human body, so it has an anti-cancer function. In addition, rapeseed can also strengthen the liver's detoxification mechanism and has a therapeutic effect on skin sores and boils and breast abscesses.
3. Loosening the intestines and relieving constipation
Rapeseed contains a large amount of plant cellulose, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, increase the volume of feces, and shorten the time feces remains in the intestinal cavity, thereby treating various types of constipation and preventing intestinal tumors.
4. Ornamental value
Rapeseed flowers mostly open in early spring. Because rapeseed is often planted in large patches, when the rapeseed flowers open in some areas, they turn into beautiful seas of yellow flowers, and many tourists who love natural scenery become enchanted in the seas of rapeseed flowers. In addition, the seeds of rapeseed flowers contain a large amount of oil, which after extraction can be processed into cooking oil for people.
5. Strengthening the body and improving health
Rapeseed contains a large amount of carotene and vitamin C, which help enhance the body's immune capacity. Rapeseed has the highest calcium content among green leafy vegetables. If an adult eats 500 grams of rapeseed a day, the calcium, iron, vitamin A and C it contains can meet physiological needs.