Eleocharis tuberosa is a plant of Eleocharis in Cyperaceae.
Creeping rhizomes are slender. Culms are numerous, tufted, straight, slender, cylindrical, 40 to 100 cm high, 2 to 3 mm in diameter, gray-green, smooth, hairless, with septa. After drying, the surface of the stalk has knots and many longitudinal stripes. There are no leaves, and there are only 2 ~ 3 leaf sheaths at the base of the stem; The sheath is light brown, smooth, hairless, membranous, clasping the stem, with an oblique sheath mouth and a sharp tip, 7 ~ 15cm long.
Spikelets are cylindrical, 2-4 cm long, about 3 mm in diameter and light green. A scale at the base is hollow and flowerless, holding the spikelet base for a week, sometimes with a short sheath. The other scales are all flowering, loosely arranged in tile shape, with a wide oblong shape, a round top, a length of 5-6 mm, a width of 4 mm, a wide dry film at the edge, a narrow dry film at the top edge, and an inconspicuous midvein. The lower bristles are 7 to 8, which are one and a half times longer than nutlets; Have barbs; Stigma 2. Nutlets are oblate and biconvex, 2 mm long and 65438±0.2mm wide, smooth, yellow at the top, with four to six hexagonal surface cells; Style base is flat, long and narrow triangle, not spongy, and there are inconspicuous rings at the base. The texture of the ring is the same as that of the nutlet, but the color is lighter. The flowering and fruiting period is from May to 65438+ 10.
growing environment
Water chestnut likes warm and humid, not cold-resistant. It usually grows in shallow water. Water chestnut needs high temperature and long sunshine in the early growth stage, such as the optimum temperature for germination is 15-20℃ and the optimum temperature for tillering is 25-30℃. The light time should be shortened (preferably less than 10) in the late growth stage. The soil is sandy loam or humus loam, with shallow soil layer and pH value of 6-7.
distribution range
In China, it is distributed in Jiangsu, Guangdong and Hainan.
Growth habit
The growth period of water chestnut is 140 ~ 200 days. Bulbs can overwinter in the soil. In the following spring, the terminal bud produces a short stem, and the base of the stem produces a slender fibrous root, which goes deep into the soil for about 20 to 30 cm, and produces a time-like stem (tubular stem) upward, and tillers continuously to form a mother plant. 3 ~ 5 stolons were extracted from the lateral buds. When the lateral buds were extended to 10 ~ 15cm, the terminal buds pulled the leaflike stems to the ground, forming 30 ~ 40 new tillers and secondary tillers, stopping tillering in summer (Hangzhou, China, late September) and forming new bulbs at the top of the stolons. At the same time, under the condition of low temperature and short sunshine in autumn, the aboveground stems also stopped growing, the flower stems were pulled out from the ramet center, and the multi-flowered spikes formed at the top reached full bloom before and after the Millennium. Nutlets are gray-brown, obovate, mature from cold dew to first frost, and usually difficult to germinate.
Main value
Water chestnut is one of the special vegetables in China. Generally, it is eaten together with underground swollen bulbs, which can be eaten raw, cooked or cooked. Especially suitable for canned food, it is called "water horseshoe" and is one of the main condiments in restaurants. Starch can also be extracted, which, together with lotus root and water chestnut, is called starch III. It is cold and slippery in nature, sweet and cool in taste, and can benefit qi and neutralize middle warmer. At the same time, the tubular leaflike stems above the ground can quench thirst and reduce fever.