When does the peach blossom usually bloom, and in which month does it begin to fade?
Since ancient times, people have always held a fondness for peach blossoms, and there are also very many poetic lines describing them, "a cluster of peach blossoms blooms ownerless, lovely whether deep red or pale red", and it also symbolizes the god of longevity. So when does the peach blossom usually bloom? In which month does it begin to fade?
When does the peach blossom bloom
Peach blossoms are usually solitary, opening before the leaves; the pedicel is extremely short or almost absent; the calyx tube is bell-shaped, covered with short soft hairs, rarely almost hairless, green with red spots; the sepals are ovate to oblong, with rounded blunt tips, externally covered with short soft hairs; the petals are oblong-elliptic to broadly obovate, pink, rarely white; the anthers are crimson; the style is almost equal in length to the stamens or slightly shorter; the ovary is covered with short soft hairs. In most cases, peach blossoms bloom in early spring, with the flowering period roughly from March to April.
The flowering period of peach blossoms:
March 5——March 14 is the full-bloom stage when the peach blossom buds are about to open; March 15——the end of March is the stage of brilliant, fervent full bloom; the end of March——early April is when peach blossoms fall in profusion, pink everywhere; by mid-to-late April they have faded.
The peach is a tree, 3-8 m tall; the crown is broad and spreading; the bark is dark reddish-brown, rough and scaly when old; the branchlets are slender, hairless, glossy, green, turning red on the sunny side, with numerous small lenticels; the winter buds are conical, with blunt tips, externally covered with short soft hairs, often clustered 2-3 together, with a leaf bud in the middle and flower buds on both sides.
Distribution
The peach blossom originated in central and northern China, has a long history of cultivation, and later gradually spread to surrounding areas of Asia; from Persia it was introduced to the West, and the Latin name Persica means Persia. It is cultivated in warm regions such as China, France, the Mediterranean and Australia. Its propagation is mainly by grafting.
Nitrogen fertilizer; in autumn it is best to add some bone meal. It is now widely cultivated throughout China.
Surely everyone knows that there are many varieties of peach, and now that we have finished discussing when the peach blossom blooms, let us add introductions to a few varieties of peach blossoms.
1. Sajin Bitao: flowers semi-double, white, sometimes the flowers on one branch include both red and white, or white flowers with red streaks.
2. Qianban Hongtao: flowers semi-double, pale red.
3. Purple-leaf peach blossom: the flowers are similar to other peach blossoms, mainly rose red; its distinguishing feature is that its leaves are purple.
4. Pagoda-shaped Bitao: tree form narrow pagoda-shaped or narrow conical.
5. Shouxing Tao: tree form dwarf, flowers double. It can be used for ornamental purposes and as a dwarfing rootstock.
Having discussed for so long when the peach blossom blooms, let us talk about its value.
Fruit tree value: the gum secreted on the peach tree trunk, commonly known as peach gum, can be used as an adhesive, etc. It is a kind of polysaccharide substance, and hydrolysis can produce arabinose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, etc. It is edible and also used medicinally, with effects of breaking blood stasis, harmonizing blood and supplementing qi.
Fruit nutrition: the peach has long been known by the fine names “longevity peach” and “immortal peach”, and because its flesh is delicious it is also called “the number one fruit under heaven”. Peach flesh contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, protein, etc. Peaches are suitable for patients with low blood potassium and iron-deficiency anemia.
In China there are many beautiful myths and legends, and in the legends the peach is a fruit eaten by immortals. Eating the top-grade large peach can make one “live as long as heaven and earth, and have the same age as the sun and moon”. Many people have read Journey to the West, and in Journey to the West there is a story related to peaches: in