Qingdao is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and every spring comes later than the inland at the same latitude. It's been a month and a half in beginning of spring, and plum blossoms, winter jasmine, forsythia and winter-resistant flowers have just begun to bloom.

From mid-March, Qingdao in spring is a world of flowers, and all kinds of flowers are in full bloom, which makes people dizzying. Just say this plum blossom, there are many varieties, including red, pink and light green. However, if you count the flowers in spring, you will find that it is a world of red and pink: peach blossom, apricot blossom, cherry blossom and begonia, all of which are red and pink. In this bright world, if you savor and search carefully, you will find that there are some blue-purple flowers blooming quietly in the grass.

In early spring, February Orchid, Veronica, and Viola yedoensis, these three humble flowers, I call them "Blue-Purple Three Jies". Let's enjoy them together!

1. Veronica

This is an inconspicuous grass in the mountains. Its name is very interesting. How did it come from? It is said that there are several versions.

First, the name comes from folk activities. It is said that there was a folk custom in ancient China, that is, "picking a woman's wife and dancing", which was an old folk production and disaster relief activity. Popular in most parts of the country, especially in Jianghuai. Ming Xu Guangqi's "The Complete Book of Agricultural Administration. The Famine": The old woman is born in the wild, and the seedlings are born in the ground ... It tastes sweet, and there is no food in the disaster year. In February in the summer calendar, the stems and leaves can satisfy the hunger. Wang Pan's Wild Cookbook in the Ming Dynasty also contains a song: "Broken and broken, it is beyond repair. Cold and hungry, talk about breast, and when you are warm, don't forget you. "

second, the name comes from its fruit type: the old woman is named after her fruit is shaped like an old woman's needlework prop, as the name implies: the old woman takes the sole. Veronica's fruit is concave at the top, and there is a groove on both sides. The recess is like the eye of a needle, and the groove is like a line mark running through the eye of a needle. Perhaps so.

Thirdly, the name comes from folklore. Once upon a time, there was an old man named "Allah". In spring, everything woke up. Because of the warm sun and the tobacco at his fingertips choking him, he began to miss his wife, so he named the carpet-like flowers around him "Grandma". The story behind the old woman brings a little touch to people, but also a little sadness.

No matter how it got its name, it is widely distributed all over the world, and it is often seen in hillsides and forests. In the early spring of each year, blue flowers bloom early, which are lovely in the warm and cold season.

2. Viola yedoensis

Spring is also the season of "spring rain is as expensive as oil". In spring, the northern land is full of dry land. However, in this dry land, this kind of flower called Viola yedoensis is not afraid of drying up, but grows tenaciously and grows blue-purple flowers. You see, it is surrounded by dry land and dry grass.

let's meet this little flower.

Viola yedoensis, alias Viola viola, Viola glabra, etc. Perennial herb of Violaceae, with medium-sized flowers, violet or lavender, sparsely white, pale throat with purple stripes; The flowering and fruiting period is from the middle and late April to September.

Viola yedoensis is cold and slightly bitter, and has the effect of clearing away heat and toxic materials, and has a certain drug effect. At the same time, it also belongs to Violaceae, alias Viola viola. As we all know, most plants with the word "vegetable" in their names can be eaten. Viola yedoensis can also be eaten.

3. February orchid

February orchid, the scientific name is Zhuge Cai. It is an annual or biennial herb in Cruciferae, and its height can reach 5 cm. Because it blooms in February of the lunar calendar and its flowers are blue, it is also called February orchid.

February orchid is also a kind of flower in early spring, which blooms earlier and often opens quietly in the first month. Why is its scientific name Zhuge Cai? It turns out that there is a legend related to Zhuge Liang's March to fight.

according to legend, Zhuge Liang led a large number of soldiers and horses to fight, and the demand for food and grass was relatively large, so the burden on the people was even greater. If the people don't have enough to eat and don't wear warm clothes, their hearts will be unstable. On one occasion, Zhuge Liang went on a tour incognito and saw a dish called "Manjing". From the mouth of the old farmer, he learned that this dish is full of treasures, leaves and stems can be eaten, and the leftovers can be made into pickles. When the green and yellow are not connected, this dish can become a master dish. Zhuge Liang was very interested in this dish. He asked the old farmer about the yield and planting method of "Manjing" per mu, and ordered the soldiers to open up wasteland to grow this dish, which on the one hand supplemented the rations and on the other hand could be used as livestock feed, which was both economical and affordable. People call this dish "Zhuge Cai".

Orychophragmus violaceus is widely distributed in China, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan. North Korea has distribution. Born in plains, mountains, roadsides or land edges.

Orychophragmus violaceus not only has ornamental value, but also its tender stems and leaves are soaked in cold boiled water until there is no bitter taste, and the seeds can also be used as oil extraction.

In Qingdao, in some communities or parks, we often see Zhuge Cai. I also saw that some residents went to mountain parks and dug up this wild vegetable to eat at home!

in early spring, do you like to walk around and enjoy flowers? Have you ever noticed these three kinds of blue-purple flowers? Welcome to share and communicate!