(Wang Lihua)
Flat Stem Astragalus (Astragalus complanatus R.Br.) AKA Sha Yuan Zi, Sha Yuan Tribulus Terrestris, Great Sha Yuan, Trailing Astragalus. A perennial herb of the legume family. Mainly produced in Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places, in addition to Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia and other provinces (autonomous regions) also produced. The seeds are used as medicine. Odorless taste light, chewing with bean flavor. Sweet flavor, warm. It has the effect of tonifying the liver and benefiting the kidney, brightening the eyes and fixing the essence, and is used for the treatment of insufficiency of the liver and kidney, soreness of the waist and knees, fainting of the eyes, premature ejaculation of spermatozoa, dysuria, blood in the urine, leucorrhoea, cold lungs, kidneys, and urination, and can brighten the eyes, and grow the muscles.
I. Morphological Characteristics
The plant is 30-100cm tall, and the whole plant is covered with short stiff hairs. The main root is thick and long. The stem is much branched, inclined and ascending, with odd pinnately compound leaves alternate with short stalks; stipules are small, narrowly lanceolate; petiolules are short, leaflets 9-21, elliptic, 7-20mm long, 3-8mm wide, apex absent or emarginate, apiculate, base rounded, entire, glabrous above and densely pubescent below. Racemes are axillary, with a few spikes. Racemes axillary, with 3-9 florets; calyx campanulate, 5-toothed, densely white pubescent, with 2 linear bracteoles under calyx; corolla butterfly-shaped, yellow, flag petals suborbicular, apex retuse, base clawed, ca. 10mm long, 8mm wide, wing petals slightly shorter, keel petals as long as flag petals; stamens 10, 9 filaments conjoined, 1 detached; pistil exceeding stamens Ovary superior, stigma bearded. Pods fusiform, 3-4 cm long, beaked at apex, slightly flattened ventrally, sparsely hispidulous, 20-30-seeded, reniform (Figs. 15-27).
Figure 15-27 Morphology of Flat-stemmed Astragalus
1.Flowering branch 2.Pod 3.Ovary 4,5,6.Corolla
II.Biological Characteristics
Strongly adaptable, preferring warm, ventilated and well-lighted environment. Cold hardy, drought tolerant, but afraid of waterlogging, too high a temperature, too much water, plant futility will affect the results, the soil requirements are not strict, general sandy loam, clay loam can be planted. Avoid continuous cropping, pre-crop to corn and other grass plants is good. Flowering in August-September, fruiting in September-October.
Three, cultivation techniques
(a) Selection of land formation
Selection of well-drained, high and dry sunny land or hillside cultivation, but also can be used to plant the edge of the ground, the corner of the ground, the ridges and slopes and other places. Before turning over the ground per acre to apply 2500kg of stable fertilizer, calcium superphosphate 15-25kg, sprinkled evenly, plowed 25cm deep, harrowed. Before sowing, make a 120cm wide flat bed.
(ii) Propagation methods
Seed propagation. In the fall in August or spring in April sowing. Strip sowing, according to the row spacing of 30cm, along the bed row 2cm deep small ditch, the seeds evenly sown into the ditch, mulch 1-1.5cm, slightly compressed after sowing, and then watering, in the temperature of 11-17 ℃ about 2 weeks of emergence, the amount of seeds sown per acre of 1-1.5kg. also in the fall, planting wheat, every 1.5m to leave a seed. The first is to leave 20cm every 1.5m, in order to prepare for the next year in April, planting sand garden seeds, wheat harvested after the planting of maize.
(C) field management
When the seedling height of 6-10cm, according to the clump spacing 10-12cm seedlings, each clump to stay strong seedlings 2-3, then help seedlings cultivate soil. Seedlings before the appropriate irrigation, in order to facilitate the emergence of seedlings. Do not make too much water after the emergence of seedlings, so as not to grow, affecting the yield. Northern areas in the ground before freezing water, pay attention to drainage in the rainy season. During the gestation period, combined with the loosening of the grass, the application of human manure or ammonium sulfate 2 times a year when the plant is not green, 3000-4000kg per mu of stable fertilizer, in the ground before freezing, the large pieces of stable fertilizer smash, with four teeth to scratch the surface, so that the manure is mixed with the soil covered with the ground, to promote the greening of the growth of the plant. After each subsequent year after harvest, it is necessary to plow and hoe, wintering fertilizer, can be harvested for 3-4 years.
(D) Diseases and their control
Powdery mildew (Erysiphe poiygoni DC.) Harms the leaves. There is white powdery substance on the front and back of the leaves, and small black spots (cystic discs) can be seen in the later stage, without obvious spots. Prevention and control methods: (1) clean the field, deal with disease residual plants; (2) early onset of the disease with 50% Tobramycin wettable powder 800-1000 times spray control.
Four, harvesting and processing
In Beijing in October harvest. When more than 80% of the pods are black, 6cm from the ground, the whole plant is cut down and dried, hit the seeds, remove the impurities, the seeds into the medicine and stay with the seed. The dried stem, leaf, fruit and pod fragments are good fodder for livestock.
[2] Jiangsu New College of Medicine, Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine (upper volume), Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1977.