Inula linariifolia Turcz.

Alias

Narrow-leaved Inula, Line-leaved Inula

Morphological Characteristics

Perennial herb, 25-50cm tall, stems erect, solitary or 2-3 clustered, longitudinally grooved ribs, yellowish green, sometimes reddish, branched in the upper part. Basal and lower leaves are striped lanceolate, up to 15cm long, 5-10mm wide, apex acuminate, lower part attenuate or long-stalked, margins often revolute, glabrous above, glandular dots and arachnid pubescence or long voluminous hairs below. Middle and upper leaves striate-lanceolate, acuminate. Heads 1.5-3.5 cm across, solitary or 3-5 arranged in a corymb, peduncle 0.5-3 cm long, involucre hemispherical, 5-7 mm long, involucral bracts 4-layered, glandular dotted and pubescent; ligulate flowers yellow, ca. 7-12 mm long. -Achenes cylindrical, 1-1.2mm long; crown hairs white as long as the corolla of the tubular flower (Fig. 75).

Fig. 75 Striped-leafed Inula

Inula linariifolia Turcz.

Geographical distribution

Widespread in China, including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, and also in Central China; abroad, also in Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East. It is also found in central China; abroad, in Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East.

Biological and ecological characteristics

The leafy mullein is a mesophytic ground shoot plant. It prefers to be born on moist and fertile black calcium soil and meadow soil, and cannot grow in both extremely wet and extremely dry habitats. It can tolerate mild salinity, so it can also grow on salinized meadow soil and is a typical meadow plant. It is a typical meadow plant. It is a common companion species in meadows of miscellaneous grasses, Leymus chinensis - miscellaneous grasses communities and Salix mongolica scrub communities, and can sometimes become a subdominant species in localized areas. It also grows in the grassland of mountain forest edge and ravine wetland. In the north of China, generally in mid-April began to germinate and grow, the first growth of rosette-type basal leaves, May aboveground stems began to elongate, solitary, upright growth, July-August flowering, August-September fruit ripening, withered in early October, the aboveground part of the death.

Feeding value

Early spring after the return of green, grazing horses, cattle, sheep and other livestock are happy to eat. With the continuous growth of the plant, the plant gradually becomes coarse and hard, palatability is reduced, cattle, horses only forage for the young and tender parts, sheep basically do not forage. After mowing in the fall, it is mixed with other forage plants, and all kinds of livestock like to eat. From the chemical composition, it can be seen that the crude protein content is low, the crude fat is average, the crude fiber content is medium, and the palatability is also medium. Overall: Striped-leafed convolvulus should be a medium wild forage.

Table 75: Chemical composition of the leafy mullein, analyzed by Grassland Research Institute of Northeast Normal University. (%)