Detailed Explanation of Scutellaria barbata Propagation Methods and Management Techniques
Scutellaria barbata is also called sun plant, because the flowers of Scutellaria barbata open when there is plenty of sunlight, and close when the light is weak, such as on cloudy days, in the evening, and from early morning. Because the flower shape of Scutellaria barbata resembles a peony and its leaves resemble pine needles, it also has the alternative names dragon-whisker peony or pine-leaf peony.
Scutellaria barbata
Scutellaria barbata is generally propagated by sowing or cuttings. In March, sow indoors in a sunny place, or in April, sow directly in the courtyard. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 20-25 degrees, and sprouts appear in about 1 week. After the seedlings emerge completely, after slight thinning or transplanting, they can bloom in about two months. During the growing period, tender stems can be picked for cuttings at any time, rooting easily and blooming quickly; after transplanting, they recover growth very easily, so large seedlings can also be transplanted bare-rooted. The main flowering period is from July to September, and the small capsules mature from August to October. The fruit, shaped like a melon-skin cap, splits horizontally when mature and immediately disperses fine silver-gray seeds. Some corollas have already fallen off, and when the top cover of the capsule is straw yellow, it is also already mature; pay attention to timely harvesting.
Scutellaria barbata is a cross-pollinated plant, and seed propagation makes it difficult to maintain variety purity. For seed collection and retention, pay attention to eliminating single-petaled and small-flowered plants.
At home, it is mostly planted in shallow pots on windowsills and balconies, cultivated into delicate and exquisite small potted flowers.
Cultivation Methods for Scutellaria barbata
Cultivation Methods for Scutellaria barbata
In summer and autumn, whether in garden flowerbeds or beside homes and in front of windows, one can often see an ordinary little flower - Scutellaria barbata. Although it is not rare or precious, it is lovable. In the hot summer it does not fear the scorching sun, opening a bright smiling face, with colorful flowers and vigorous vitality, often blooming without fading. What is even more valuable is that its vitality is extremely tenacious. In summer, if a tender branch several inches long is inserted into a flowerpot, it can unexpectedly bloom a lovely flower the next day! Some people therefore jokingly
call it “can't die”, “can't be pinched to death’;, the name is inelegant, but in fact it is
praise and admiration for its tenacious vitality.
The stems and leaves of Scutellaria barbata are fleshy and glossy, with abundant flowers clustered like brocade and a riot of five colors, and the flowering period is relatively long, making it an ideal flowerbed edging material. It can also be made into a special flowerbed and is also suitable for potting. From summer to autumn, the flowers bloom continuously, colorful and splendid, pleasing to the eye and delightful to the heart.
Scutellaria barbata is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Portulacaceae, native to Brazil in South America, and has already been widely cultivated in our country. Height 10-15 cm. The stem is slender and round, prostrate or growing upward, and the leaves are alternate or scattered, fleshy and cylindrical. Flowers are borne at the tips of branches, flower diameter 3-4 cm, petals brightly colored, including red, white, purple, yellow, and some with several colored stripes. There are double-petaled, semi-double-petaled, and double forms. It blooms from June〜9. It opens at sunrise and closes in the afternoon. The fruit is a capsule, and the capsule easily splits and scatters when mature, so pay attention to collecting and keeping seeds.
Scutellaria barbata prefers a warm, dry, sunny, and well-ventilated environment. Its adaptability is extremely strong, and management is easy.
Scutellaria barbata can tolerate poor and dry soil; for potting, well-drained sandy loam
is best.
Because Scutellaria barbata is a strongly sun-loving plant that likes sunlight and cannot tolerate shade, if placed indoors or in a semi-shaded environment, growth will certainly be poor or it will bloom very little.
During maintenance, watering should not be excessive. Usually, keeping the potting soil half-dry and slightly
moist is best; too much water easily causes root rot.
During the growing period, apply dilute liquid fertilizer once every 3〜4 days to make it grow robustly and bloom abundantly.
Scutellaria barbata can be propagated by sowing or cuttings.
It can be sown in spring, summer, and autumn. When the temperature is above 20 degrees, the seeds germinate, and after sowing they sprout in about 10 days. When 4〜5 leaves have grown, the seedlings can be transplanted and set out. From sowing to flowering takes about
2 months.
Cutting propagation is often used for double-petaled varieties. In summer, use cut branch tips as cuttings; wilted stems can also be used. They root very easily from cuttings and can quickly produce flower buds.
Propagation Management of Scutellaria barbata
Flower name: Scutellaria barbata
Alternative names: Bingtoucao, Xiaye Hanxincao, Yashuacao, Sifang Malan, Wa'ercao, Tongjingcao, Ziliancao, Xiao Hanxincao, Xiao Hanxin, Xiao Erwacao, Jinwa'ercao, Hewa'er, Erwacao, Xibian Huangqin, Ye Xiakucao, Fang'ercao, Banxianghua, Banmianhua, Piantoucao, Sifangcao, Xiaohao Xiangtiantzhan, Huyaohong, Zaishengcao, Ganshanbian, Xiaye Xiangtiantzhan.
Latin name: Portulaca grandiflora Hook.
Family and genus: Portulacaceae, Portulaca
Scutellaria barbata (scientific name: Scutellaria barbata D. Don), alternative names: Banzhilian (Grand Dictionary of Botany), Songye Mudan, Longxu Mudan, Jinsi Dujuan, Yang Mazhixian, Taiyanghua, Wushihua, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Scutellaria in the family Lamiaceae. Scutellaria barbata can reach a plant height of 55 cm, growing densely in clumps, with abundant and gorgeous flowers and a long flowering period. It is an excellent companion flower for decorating lawns, slopes, and roadsides, and is also suitable for planting at flowerbed edges and in flower borders. As a potted plant it is small and exquisite, and can be displayed for viewing in many places such as balconies, windowsills, corridors, in front of doors, beside ponds, and in courtyards.
It is distributed in Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay, and parks and other places in mainland China, often growing as an escaped plant, and is native to South America.
The whole plant of Scutellaria barbata is used as medicine, with functions such as clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and anti-cancer. It is cold in nature and sour in taste. The whole plant contains various components such as multiple vitamins, trace elements, and amino acids. It has the effects of cooling blood and detoxifying, dispersing stasis and relieving pain, reducing swelling, and clearing heat and draining dampness.
Ornamental Value
It has a long flowering period, rich and varied flower colors, and a large number of flowers. It is a good plant material for flowerbeds, flower borders, and sunny ground cover, and can also be viewed as a potted plant.
Scutellaria barbata is the dried aboveground part of the plant Scutellaria barbata of the family Lamiaceae, with functions such as clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and anti-cancer. Jiang Yi's "Shiyi Fu from the Mirror of Medicine" records that "Banzhilian is a divine herb for treating snake bites." In folk medicine, besides treating venomous snake bites, it is also used to treat tumors, with a certain short-term effect. "Corrected Compendium of Materia Medica" records that "this grass bears purple-white flowers, the grass is purple-red, with opposite paired leaves, and is harvested in the seventh and eighth months." The described morphology is close to this species. Among folk herbal medicines, there are many varieties named Banzhilian or "Banzhi." "Baicaojing" states that "there are seventy-two kinds of Banzhi." Zhao Xuemin, in "Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica," included Shuye Banzhi, Gouya Banzhi, and Huya Banzhi, etc., which are several plants of the genus Sedum in the family Crassulaceae. The Banzhilian included in the 1985 edition, part one, of the "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" is this product.
It is the whole plant and root of the Lamiaceae plant Scutellaria barbata. Also known as Xiaye Hanxincao and Bingtoucao. Cool in nature, slightly bitter in taste. Functions are clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and promoting urination and reducing swelling. Mainly treats venomous snake bites, boils and sores,
Production Area Distribution
Distributed in the southern provinces and regions of our country. Queshan County, Henan Province, is the current main production area, and in recent years the scale of development has been relatively large.
Morphological Characteristics
Annual or biennial herbaceous flower, plant height 30-40 cm. The lower part of the stem creeps and roots, while the upper part is upright, the stem is square and green. Leaves are opposite, the leaf blade triangular-ovate or ovate, with wavy blunt teeth at the margin, the lower leaves are larger, and the petiole is extremely short. Flowers are small, 2 opposite, arranged in a one-sided raceme, terminal; pedicels are covered with sticky short hairs; bracts are leaf-like, gradually becoming smaller upward, and covered with hairs. The calyx is bell-shaped, with short soft hairs outside, two-lipped, and the upper lip has a scutellum. The corolla is lipped, blue-purple, densely covered with soft hairs outside; stamens 4, didynamous; ovary 4-lobed, the stigma is completely attached at the bottom of the ovary, and the apex is 2-lobed. Nutlets are ovate, brown. Flowering period May-June, fruiting period June-August.
Perennial herb. The rhizome of Scutellaria barbata is short and thick, producing clustered fibrous roots.
Stem upright, height 12-35 (55) cm, four-angled, base group 1-2 mm, hairless or sparsely covered with appressed small hairs on the upper part of the inflorescence axis, unbranched or with more or less branches.
Leaves with short petioles or nearly sessile, petiole length 1-3 mm, concave on the upper side and convex on the lower side, sparsely covered with small hairs; leaf blade triangular-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, sometimes ovate, length 1.3-3.2 cm, width 0.5-1 (1.4) cm, apex acute, base broadly cuneate or nearly truncate, margin with sparse and blunt shallow teeth, olive green above, light green and sometimes purplish beneath, both surfaces sparsely covered with appressed small hairs or almost hairless along the veins, lateral veins 2-3 pairs, sunken above and raised beneath with the midrib.
Flowers solitary in the leaf axils of the upper part of the stem or branches, the flowering stem section 4-11 cm long; lower bracts leaf-like but smaller, up to 8 mm long, upper ones even smaller, 2-4.5 mm long, elliptic to oblong, entire, sparsely covered with small hairs above and along the veins beneath; pedicels 1-2 mm long, covered with fine soft hairs, with a pair of needle-like bracteoles about 0.5 mm long with cilia at the middle. Calyx at flowering about 2 mm long, outside covered with fine soft hairs along the veins, margin with short cilia, scutellum about 1 mm high; at fruiting the calyx is 4.5 mm long, scutellum 2 mm high. Corolla purple-blue, 9-13 mm long, covered with short soft hairs outside, sparsely covered with soft hairs inside at the throat; corolla tube saccate at the base, 1.5 mm wide, gradually widening upward, reaching 3.5 mm wide at the throat; corolla limb two-lipped, upper lip helmet-shaped, semicircular, 1.5 mm long, apex rounded, lower lip middle lobe trapezoidal, entire, 2.5 mm long, 4 mm wide, 2 lateral lobes triangular-ovate, 1.5 mm wide, apex acute. Stamens 4, the anterior pair longer, slightly exserted, with fertile half-anthers, degenerate half-anthers indistinct, the posterior pair shorter, included, with complete anthers, anther locule openings bearded; filaments flat, the inner side of the anterior pair and the lower part of both sides of the posterior pair sparsely covered with small soft hairs. Style slender, apex acute, slightly lobed. Disc discoid, raised in front, extending behind into a short ovary stalk. Ovary 4-lobed, lobes equal in size.
Nutlets brown, oblate, about 1 mm in diameter, with small wart-like protrusions. Flowering and fruiting period April-July.
Ecological Environment
Mostly seen in moist places beside ditches, field edges, and roadsides. Too dry soil is unfavorable for growth. Scutellaria barbata likes a warm and humid climate and does not demand much from soil conditions. It grows beside paddy fields, streams, or on moist grassland, at altitudes below 2000 m. Scutellaria barbata likes a warm climate and a humid, semi-shaded environment. It is not strict about soil, and for cultivation, deep, loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam or humus loam is best. Sticky soil and low-lying, easily waterlogged plots are not suitable for planting. It often grows wild on field edges or beside streams and ditches in hilly and flat areas. It likes a relatively humid environment, and growth is poor in overly dry areas.
Harvesting and Storage
For those propagated by seed, from the second year on, it can be harvested once every year in May, July, and September. For those propagated by division, harvest once in September of that year, and thereafter it can also be harvested 3 times each year. When harvesting, use a sickle to cut the whole plant at ground level, remove weeds, tie into small bundles, and sun-dry or shade-dry.
Storage and maintenance: place in a dry place.
Nature, Flavor, and Functions
Pungent, bitter, cold. Enters the lung, liver, and kidney meridians. Functions and indications: clear heat and detoxify, transform stasis and promote urination. Used for boils and swollen toxins, sore throat, venomous snake bites, traumatic injuries and pain, edema, and jaundice. Usage and dosage 15-30 g, fresh product 30-60 g; for external use, an appropriate amount of fresh product, pounded and applied to the affected area.
Planting Techniques
1. Land selection and preparation
Loose, fertile sandy loam or loam is best. Plow, and at the same time apply 2000 kg of farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer, cultivate finely and level, and make beds 1.3 m wide.
2. Propagation methods
Seed propagation is primary, and division propagation can also be used. (1) Seed propagation is mostly by direct sowing, from late September to early October, in drills or holes. For drilling, open furrows at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, with a furrow depth of about 4 cm; for hole sowing, open holes at a hole spacing of about 27 cm. When sowing, first scatter the seeds into plant ash mixed with livestock manure water, mix into seed ash, then evenly scatter it into the furrows or holes, and cover with a layer of fine soil or plant ash, with a thickness not exceeding 0.5 cm. After sowing, before emergence, the soil must be kept absolutely moist, and seedlings emerge in about 20 days after sowing. Use 1.5-2 kg of seeds per mu. (2) Division propagation is carried out in spring and summer. Dig up the old roots of the plants, select robust plants free of pests and diseases for division, with 3-4 seedlings per plant, and plant them in holes at a hole spacing of about 27 cm, then water after planting.
3. Field management
(1) Thinning and filling gaps. For direct sowing, when the seedlings are 5-7 cm high, thin them at a plant spacing of 4-5 cm, and at the same time fill gaps. Gap filling should be done by transplanting with soil, and water after planting.
(2) Cultivation and weeding. Carry out cultivation and weeding as soon as seedlings emerge, and thereafter timely after each harvest. (3) Topdressing. Combined with cultivation and weeding, apply 2000 kg of human and livestock manure water per mu each time.
Land preparation and fertilization
Choose a good plot, spread 2000 kg of decomposed stable manure per 667 m2, plow to a depth of 15 cm, and along with plowing, spread 50 kg each of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate and urea per 667 m2. Harrow finely and level, and make beds 1.2 m wide.
Seedling raising and transplanting
In the prepared beds, sow at 12-15 g/sq m. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 60°C water for 24 h, remove and let them dry slightly, mix evenly with fine sandy soil (passed through a fine sieve) at a ratio of 1 to 100, and then evenly scatter into the beds. Cover with straw mats or agricultural film, spray water once a day, and keep moist. They germinate and emerge in 15-20 days. After the seedlings emerge completely, remove the covering, then spray water once, and thereafter spray water once every 3-4 days. When the seedlings are 5 cm high, transplant to the field at a row spacing and plant spacing of 20 cm each, with 1 plant per hole.
Direct sowing in the field
To ensure that all seeds of direct sowing germinate, it is best to sow on cloudy and rainy days. The time is from September to early October, in drills or holes. For drilling, open furrows at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, with a furrow depth of about 4 cm; for hole sowing, open holes at a hole spacing of about 30 cm. When sowing, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with 0.5 cm thick loose fine soil fertilizer or plant ash, and agricultural film or straw mats can also be used as cover to keep the soil moist. After full emergence, remove the cover and do a good job of seedling-stage management.
Field management
Cultivation, weeding, and topdressing. After emergence, when the seedlings are 1-2 cm high, apply 1 time of dilute human manure water while weeding, using 1000 kg per 667 sq m as a seedling-promoting fertilizer. When the seedlings are 4-5 cm high, carry out thinning and gap filling, finally setting the seedlings at a plant spacing of 3-4 cm, and at the same time fill in the missing seedlings. After thinning or setting seedlings, apply human manure water 1 time each. Thereafter, keep the field free of weeds, and after each harvest, topdress 1 time to promote the sprouting of new branches and leaves. After the last harvest in November, apply heavy winter fertilizer, using 200 kg of decomposed stable manure and 25 kg of cake fertilizer or superphosphate per 667 sq m; after mixing and composting, open furrows between the rows and apply. After application, cover with soil and earth up to help preserve warmth and prevent cold.
Drainage and irrigation. During the seedling stage, keep the soil moist frequently and do not let it lack water. In dry seasons, irrigate in time. In the rainy season and after each heavy irrigation, dredge ditches and drain in time to prevent water accumulation from drowning roots and seedlings.
Pest and Disease Control
Rust disease: mainly damages leaves. On affected plants, yellow-brown spots appear on the underside of the leaves, and in severe cases the leaves turn yellow, curl, and fall off. Control method: in the early stage of disease, use 97% ferrous sulfate 300-400 times (adding a small amount of washing powder), or use 0.2-0.3 degrees Baume lime sulfur mixture, spraying once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.
Late blight: easily occurs in hot and rainy seasons. Water-soaked dark spots appear on the leaves, followed by wilting and drooping. Control method: spray with 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture or 800 times Dexon solution in the evening for control.
Pests: mainly aphids, African mole crickets, cotton leafworms, etc., which can be controlled by spraying 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate 1000 times or 50% phosphamidon emulsifiable concentrate 1000 times. During the flowering period, aphids and cabbage blackworms are prone to damage. The former can be controlled with dimethoate, and the latter can be controlled by spraying 50% dichlorvos 1000 times.
4. Pest and disease control: During the growth process of Scutellaria barbata, almost no diseases occur. During the flowering period, aphids and cabbage blackworms are prone to damage. The former can be controlled with dimethoate, and the latter can be controlled by spraying 50% dichlorvos l000 times.
5. Seed retention technique. From May to June, when the seeds gradually mature, harvest the fruiting branches in batches, sun-dry or shade-dry, rub out the seeds, winnow clean the stems and impurities, place in cloth bags, and store in a dry place. Continuous cropping fields of Scutellaria barbata do not need seed retention; generally, it can be cropped continuously for 3-4 years before renewing the root seedlings once.