According to statistics, there are more than 100 genera and 1,400 species of quinoa in the world, which are mainly distributed in the steppes, deserts, saline and alkaline areas of southern Africa, Central Asia, South America, North America and Oceania, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the coast of the Red Sea. Among them China has 39 genera and 186 species, accounting for about 13.3% of the world's 13.3%, mainly distributed in Northwest China, Inner Mongolia and Northeast provinces and districts, especially Xinjiang is the most abundant. People are familiar with Beet (Betavulgaris), Spinach (Spinaciaoleracea), Alkali Pine (Suaedaglauca), and Pike (Hesperus vulgaris), and Pike (Hesperus vulgaris). strong> (Haloxylonammodendron), all of which are in the family Quinoa. Baolia is endemic to China, and is found in southern Gansu.
BaoliabracteataPhoto credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
Quinoa plants are mostly temperate, accounting for 71% of their species. They are widely distributed in areas of low precipitation, from the northwestern Sahara Desert to Central Asia, the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian steppe, as well as in the arid zones formed by the arid Australia and the Great Basin of the U.S.A. They grow mainly in areas with an elevation greater than 300m and less than 2,000m, and are therefore called "the most important family in the desert flora". It has been reported that Salicorniaeuropaea (salt hornbeam) and Halostachyscaspica (salt spicebush) of the family Quinoa are ecological indicator taxa of high salinity (8-10%), whereas Atriplex (shore quinoa) is an indicator of moderate salinity.
The quinoa family has a large number of species and is widely distributed, but fewer of them grow in mountains and forests, while seasides, deserts, saline and alkaline areas and other environments that are difficult for other plants to live in are places where quinoa plants thrive. Because they live in deserts and saline soils, the plants show drought-induced adaptations in their appearance and morphology. For example, they are mostly herbs or semi-shrubs, with deep roots, small and fleshy leaves, stems or branches that are often green or purplish-red in color, often covered with downy hairs, and vesicles that have a high salt content and high osmotic pressure. The members of the quinoa family, although lacking in beauty and bright colors, are very capable of adapting to harsh environments.
Corniculata SuaedacorniculataPhoto credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
Many quinoa plants have important values in ecological protection and economic application, such as beet, which is a cash crop, and sweet, which is an economic crop. belongs to the cash crop, is an important raw material for sugar, mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and other places, the development of local agriculture and economy has an important role; its varieties "___ beet" (Betavulgarisvar.cicla), the root is fat and leafy, can be used as a vegetable. In addition, beet is extremely rich in pigment, the main pigment is called beet red (Betalains), which is commonly used in ice cream, curdled yogurt, dry mixes and candies.
Beet Betavulgaris Image Source: China Wild Plants WeChat
Spinach is an important overwintering vegetable in the northern region of China, and one of the most important vegetables in the spring, fall, and winter in the northern and southern regions of the country, and it is rich in nutrients, and ranks second to all vegetables for Vitamin A
Kochiascoparia is also known as ground wheat, broom seedlings, peacock pine. The plant is tender green, and the leaves turn red in the fall. The fruit is flat spherical and can be used as medicine, called diclofenac, to treat diseases such as dysuria, hernia, sores, rubella, etc.; the young stems and leaves can be eaten, and the old plants can be used as brooms, and the seeds can also be used to extract oil. The ground skin in the garden application valuable, not only to meet the needs of modeling, can also be used as a companion landscape.
Kochiascoparia image source: China Wild Plants WeChat
Alkali pong seedlings taste delicious, can be eaten, can also be used as animal fodder; the seeds contain about 25% of the oil, can be extracted for industrial use, the seed oil has the ability to prevent thrombosis, anti-tumor, anti-arterial, and anti-tumor effects, and can also be used as atherogenic. Seed oil has the ability to prevent thrombosis, anti-tumor, anti-atherosclerosis, antioxidant, reduce body fat, increase muscle and so on; pigment for water-soluble anthocyanin pigments, can be used as a natural food coloring. Alkali pontica also has a high ecological value, can improve soil physical and chemical properties, and has a certain impact on the composition of soil microbial communities. As a pioneer plant, it increases the organic matter content of coastal saline soils, promotes tidal flat soiling, and provides conditions for wetland plant growth.
Suaedaglauca alkali pontica Photo credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
The Yellow River Delta is the main distribution area of saline pontica (Suaedasalsa) vegetation in Shandong Province, and the Yellow River estuary, which is regarded as the wonder of the world, is known as "The Red Beach is a natural landscape formed by the salt flats of the Yellow River. Salt ground alkali puff contains protein, dietary fiber, polysaccharides, pigments, flavonoids, etc., the seeds are rich in *** yoke linoleic acid, has a high edible value and medicinal value . In addition, the saline alkali ponts have better Cd and Pb absorption and transportation capacity, and have greater application potential and value in salinity and heavy metal composite contaminated soil remediation practice. In recent years, China's offshore aquaculture industry has developed rapidly, and the problem of aquaculture wastewater pollution has become more and more serious. Phytoremediation has the advantages of being cheap and not easy to produce secondary pollution, so it has received considerable attention. Some studies have shown that saline alkali flora can effectively remove total nitrogen, nitrite, total phosphorus and other pollutants in wastewater, which also leads to the conclusion that saline alkali flora has the purification of wastewater in marine aquaculture efficacy.
Salsolacollina (Salsolacollina) contains flavonoids, sterols, alkaloids, sugars and other components. The whole grass can be used as medicine, has the effect of clearing heat and calming the liver, lowering blood pressure, the effect is good; young stems and leaves can be eaten, rich in a large number of proteins, vitamins, and the human body needs the trace elements. Its selenium content is very high, for the general food 20 times.
Pigwort SalsolacollinaPhoto credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
Many species of quinoa are the main fodder for animals in arid and saline areas, and are also important sand-fixing plants. Haloxylon plants are important afforestation trees in desert areas, as large shrubs or in the form of thickets, mainly growing in mobile dunes, semi-fixed dunes, saline soils and gravelly Gobi. There are 2 species in China, namely, the pike pike and the white pike pike (H. persicum).
Haloxylonammodendron pikes Picture credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
The pikes are more commonly distributed in the desert and semi-desert areas of northwestern China, with hard wood and strong firepower, and have been known as the "living coal of the desert "desert coal. In addition, it is also the host of the precious medicinal plant Cistanche. Since the last century, the increase in population and the over-utilization of resources have led to the massive logging of the pike, which is used as fuel wood. Coupled with the fact that the shoots of the pike are excellent fodder for camels and sheep, overgrazing has deteriorated the natural environment, resulting in the shrinking and death of large areas of the pike forests, and the pike has consequently been listed as a nationally important wild plant under protection.
In 2013, China established the Chaidamu Basin Shuttle Forest National Nature Reserve, which has led to better protection of the shuttles in the Chaidamu Basin, and the ecology of the Chaidamu Basin has been improved as well. As of January 2018, the area of desertified land has been reduced by 28,200 hectares from 2009 levels. In addition, a number of key technologies for the artificial cultivation of the parasitic plant Cistanchia sinensis have been solved through collaborative research, and a standardized cultivation system with high and stable yields has been established, realizing the efficient artificial cultivation of Cistanchia sinensis, and indirectly and effectively protecting the host of Cistanchia sinensis, the wild It also indirectly and effectively protects the host of Cistanche, the wild pike forest.
Chenopodiumaristatum Picture source: China Wild Plants WeChat
Chenopodiumacuminatum Picture source: China Wild Plants WeChat
China is rich in the germplasm resources of the family Liidae, and quinoa, which is often distributed in harsh habitats, is the biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems, which is the main source of biodiversity. Strong> terrestrial ecosystem biological resources important component, to maintain ecosystem biodiversity and ecological balance has an important role. A variety of plants in the family of Lycophyta is the material basis for saline desertification control and biological improvement of saline and alkaline land, and its biodiversity conservation and rational development and utilization will provide ideas for human beings to solve agricultural problems, resource problems and ecological problems. At the same time, Ricaceae is a natural gene pool of drought- and salinity-resistant germplasm, carrying valuable plant resistance genetic resources, which can be used as quality materials for genetic engineering of drought- and salinity-resistant crop breeding.
Misty ice quinoa BassiadasyphyllaPhoto credit: China Wild Plants WeChat
While, quinoa plants are diverse and large in number, there are still a few that are at risk. There are five species of quinoa currently listed in the Red List of China's Higher Plants, of which two species, the monogamous coastal quinoa (Archiatriplexnanpinensis) and the seashore quinoa (Atriplexmaximowicziana), are threatened with threatened status. strong>Endangered (EN) status, and three species Long-branched knapweed (Arthrophytumiliense), white pokeweed, and Tien Shan pigweed (Salsolajunatovii)are Vulnerable (VU) status. The distribution range of these species is narrow, and they are only sporadically distributed even in suitable areas, while the potential adaptive distribution range of the endangered quinoa plants is still continuously shrinking due to multiple reasons.
In recent years, China's research on ecological restoration of saline-alkaline land has attracted more and more attention to quinoa, and protection of the endangered quinoa plants should be emphasized, and the development of a reasonable conservation strategy should not be delayed.