Unusual frog water color: description and cultivation features. Vodokras frog: a useful plant for reservoirs

Tips for maintenance and care

Those who have kept this plant in their pond for some time leave useful reviews. Frog water can be planted in a bright or semi-shaded place. To do this, in the summer, a process with roots detached from the mother is lowered into the water. If vodokras is planted in an aquarium, he needs top lighting for at least 12 hours a day. The temperature can be maintained from 20 to 28 degrees.

A plant in a pond, on the street, can endure winter if the bud is lowered deeper than the freezing level. But many recommend taking out a few buds and putting them in a jar of water (put silt on the bottom), put in a cool place. With the onset of warm spring days, the contents of the jar must be poured into a pond. Watercress frog: Interesting Facts related to the name In Dahl's dictionary, this plant is referred to as "vodozhila", although almost no one uses this name.

Today, the most common option is “frog water paint”. He received such a “name” thanks to the frogs that settle near this waterfowl and love to emerge among its leaves. It can be noted that in Belarus, the “toad is extraordinary” is also known as “sverblyachka”. Most likely, it was actively used in past years, when a person had skin diseases such as itching, rashes, etc.

Homeland - reservoirs of Europe, Asia, Australia, North Africa and CIS.

The large leaves of this plant are located on relatively long petioles in the form of a rosette around the stem node. The flowers are white and protrude above the surface of the water.

The plant is very similar to a capsule.

Plant loves bright lighting. Comfortable temperature for the plant: in winter 18-20 ° C, and in summer up to 28 ° C. Other water parameters do not matter.

Reproduces vegetatively.

What is a watercolour?

This is a plant with petiolate, small, round or ovate leaves, formed into a rosette. sheet plate vodokrasa resembles the shape of the leaves of a miniature water lily. From the corner of the leaf, new shoots are formed - a mustache. At the ends of the shoots, new leaves with roots are formed.

After a while, they detach from mother plant and develop independently. Vodokras frog - flowering plant. Miniature inflorescence - a single flower, which is formed on a pedicel, at a height of 4-5 cm from the surface of the water, looks quite attractive and spectacular. The flowers are white, small, no more than 2 cm in diameter, three-lobed with egg-yellow cores.

These are dioecious plants: on some specimens only female flowers are formed, and on others only male flowers. In early autumn, instead of rosettes, long dense buds develop on the shoots. They sink to the bottom of the reservoir, endure wintering in silt. With the advent of spring, the buds rise to the surface of the reservoir and begin to grow actively. Vodokras flowers are characterized by moderate growth and high decorativeness throughout the season. The flowering period is long - from the end of June to the end of August.

The abundance of opened flower buds is observed in hot weather. This plant has been used with great success in landscape design at summer cottages and household plots to decorate the water surface, for example, in an aquarium or in a pond.

Landing: lowered into the water in a sunny or semi-shady place. Vodokras grows well in both bright and slightly shaded ponds with stagnant or slowly flowing water.

Where is the plant found The frog water color is common in many areas. It grows in Western and Eastern Europe. It also pleases the inhabitants of Asia and Siberia. The plant prefers the surface of quiet backwaters, lakes, ponds and slowly flowing streams.

How does the plant "move" to other water bodies

It is worth noting that the plant reproduces by seeds very rarely, therefore it is not transferred to other water bodies due to the wind. But, nevertheless, water paint has its own "transport" - these are animals and birds. In order for the “sleeping” plant to survive until spring, the winter bud secretes sticky mucus.

The frog water color is very common in our reservoirs. This is a very beautiful and rather unpretentious perennial. aquatic plant. Its range is Europe and Siberia. The plant received the name frog bite for the peculiar shape of the leaf with a deep, as if bitten, notch. In addition, frogs love to hide among its round, bright green leaves. Numerous leaves on long petioles and a lush bunch of roots also serve as an excellent refuge for other small inhabitants of water bodies. The frog water purifier purifies the water, and many leaves tightly cover the surface and protect the reservoir from overheating.

Snow-white three-petal flowers bloom continuously from early summer to late autumn. From the base of the rosette shoots "whiskers" with new plants are formed. At their ends, large buds are formed, which fall off in the fall, hibernate and give birth to new plants in the spring. They winter well and natural conditions withstand even severe frosts. small size allow the use of Vodokras frog even in very small indoor ponds.

- Caltha palustris L. Belongs to the ranunculaceae family - Ranunculaceae. This is medicinal plant named according to old Russian word"Kaluga", which, in turn, is translated as a swamp, Kaluga, puddle. This plant is also called frog grass, frog, water snake.

Features
Frog grass is a herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of 15-50 cm.

The rhizome has cord-like root lobes and is short.

The stem is fleshy and glabrous, may be somewhat creeping or straight, slightly branched above. Stem length from 3 to 20 cm.
In the event that the plant grows in meadows, then the stem is usually no longer than 50 cm, and if the plant grows in a river, it reaches three meters.

During flowering, the width of the leaves reaches from 30 to 80 mm, and then the width reaches 300 mm. Large leaves are distinguished by a dark green tint, are shiny and leathery, kidney-shaped, bright, wedge-shaped or round-heart-shaped.

The basal lower leaves are attached to the petioles, the upper surface ones are sessile. Underwater ones are distinguished by a red-violet color, and surface ones are dark green.

The plant has many flowers, they are large, golden yellow, shiny, with many pistils and stamens.

The fruit is a combined leaflet, which includes 5-10 leaflets.

Kaluzhnitsa blooms in April-May. In some cases, it may bloom again in September. The medicinal plant blooms for the first time only in the tenth year, and the shiny black seeds ripen in September.

Habitat

Marsh marigold grows in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Urals, throughout the European part of the country, in Ukraine, in the Caucasus, in Central Asia. This plant can be found in wet meadows, river banks, swamps, near streams and river backwaters, in wet meadows, in the forest zone of Russia at an altitude of up to 2000 m above sea level.

Chemical composition
The chemical composition of the plant has not been studied in sufficient detail.

Plants contain alkaloids (ranulunculin, anemonin, berberine, isorhamnetin, protoanemonin), bitterness, tannins, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, choline, lactones, vitamin C, carotene, starch, sugar. Protoanemonin can be found in the plant if it is fresh. During flowering, the leaves contain vitamin C and carotene.

Rhizomes and roots contain hederagin and oleonolic acid glycosides, triterpene saponins, and alkaloids. Alkaloids, fatty oil and vitamin C were found in the seeds.

The stems and leaves of froggrass are poisonous before flowering and fruiting. After marinating and boiling, they can be consumed.

Medical and beneficial features marsh marigold
The medicinal properties of the plant are determined by the chemical composition. Medications marsh marigold restore metabolism, have anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antimicrobial effects on the body.

Also, the plant has wound healing, anticancer, antitumor, antiscorbutic and antifebrile properties.

The leaves of the plant are used as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. A decoction of the leaves is taken as an anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory and expectorant.

Application
The roots, flowers, grass and leaves of the marigold are used to make a variety of drugs that are used to treat various diseases.
This medicinal plant is used to treat scrofula, metabolic disorders, colds, anemia.

An aqueous infusion of the herb is used to treat asthma, bronchitis, cough, fever, whooping cough, urinary tract diseases.

Collection and preparation
During the flowering period, the grass is harvested and dried in special dryers or ventilated rooms. Flowers are harvested from mid-April to late May. Rhizomes are harvested in spring or late autumn.

Contraindications
Due to mild toxicity, the plant should not be consumed on its own. When taken orally causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea, irritates mucous membranes and skin.

Recipes
Plant juice and fresh crushed leaves are used for eczema, neurodermatitis, burns, bruises, wounds.

The leaves are crushed, doused with boiling water, wrapped in gauze and applied.
Experts recommend juice from fresh leaves and flower buds of the plant for healing wounds.

There are plants that seem to be tired of the land, and they went down to calm water to admire their reflection. Among them is the vodokras - an inhabitant of quiet ponds and coastal backwaters. The proposed article will talk about botanical features plants, its decorative properties and use in landscape design and folk medicine.

In Latin, water color is called hydrocharis - "decoration of water." Everything in it resembles a water lily, reduced several times. The same shape is rounded with a cutout leaflet - but with a diameter of only 3-5 cm. And White flower it also rises above the water - but there are only three petals in it and they are the size of a metal ruble.

Vodokras ordinary, also known as frogs, is a perennial plant that floats on the surface of a reservoir, often in the vicinity of duckweed. In the ground, it is fixed only with a sharp drop in the water level. The lower part of the plant is represented by a short rhizome, as if bitten off from below. This circumstance formed the basis of the species name of the water-colored plant - "morsus ranae" - a frog bite. Hence also folk names: frog and toad.

Each instance of this plant is a rosette of leaves on long petioles. To increase buoyancy, there are swellings filled with air in the lower part of the leaf blades. Thin horizontal shoots up to 50 cm long serve for vegetative propagation summer.

In addition, overwintering buds (turions) are formed at the vodokras, which are significantly compacted by autumn and sink to the bottom. By spring, air cavities appear in the kidneys, thanks to which the turions rise to the surface. The mucus that covers these buds allows them to stick to the fur of semi-aquatic mammals and bird feathers to spread to new water bodies.

For complete characteristics frog water color it should be noted:

• dioecious - male and female flowers are formed on different individuals;
• contrast - the flowers are white, with yellow centers, against the background of emerald leaves;
• nectar-bearing - vodokras is pollinated by small hymenoptera insects;
• the prevalence of vegetative propagation over seed.

Chemical composition and distribution of water paint

On the this moment chemical composition poorly studied. It contains sedative flavonoids, as well as anthocyanins and leucoanthocyanins with antioxidant activity. There is evidence that the plant is able to accumulate radioisotopes. For this reason, its collection and use for medicinal purposes is possible only in radiation-free areas.

The genus Vodokras includes two species. Vodokras frog is typical for the reservoirs of Europe, middle lane European part of Russia, Caucasus and Western Siberia. The second species - dubious water color, or Asian - lives in the southern part of Primorsky Krai, in Japan, Indochina.

The plant inhabits the outskirts of overgrown lakes and other water bodies: river backwaters, ditches, swamps, ponds. In the introduced form, hydrocharis is found almost all over the world, performing the task of decorating garden ponds.

Application, medicinal properties and harm of water paint

The plant is not included in the State Pharmacopoeia and in official medicine does not apply. The main direction of the use of hydrocharis in folk medicine is the creation of sedative preparations on its basis. They are prescribed for:

• insomnia and heavy, restless dreams;
• painful erection (priapism);
• excessive sexual desire;
• too frequent pollutions;
• neurasthenia.

The anti-inflammatory effect of the frog works in women's diseases with abundant whites, abrasions, diaper rash and other skin conditions that are fraught with infection.

The main property of hydrocharis preparations is sedative. They accelerate the processes of inhibition in the overexcited areas of the cerebral cortex, reduce the feeling of anxiety, and promote rapid falling asleep. They relax the smooth muscles of the blood vessels, resulting in a decrease in blood pressure in patients.

Vodokras does not contain toxic substances, but there are still a number of contraindications to its use: chronic intestinal inflammation and hypotension.

Use in landscaping and aquarium design

The frog has decorative properties, so it is often used in landscape design as a cute, discreet decoration for small ponds. Growing and caring for a plant is not difficult. In the spring, water-colored bushes, taken in a natural reservoir, are dipped in a pink solution of potassium permanganate and lowered into the water. After a while, they will start up horizontal shoots - "whiskers" - with young rosettes of leaves. In June-July, water color flowers on long stems will decorate the green surface of the pond.

By mid-autumn, floating plants will die, leaving only wintering buds. If the reservoir freezes to the bottom, it is worth collecting a few buds and placing them in the refrigerator in a jar of water. When the pond is completely melted in the spring, the kidneys just need to be thrown into it.

Diseases and pests rarely affect the frog. Weakened plants can be affected by rot - such specimens are removed from the water and thrown into compost heap. The snails that have settled on the leaves of the water color are collected by hand and transferred away into nature, and the caterpillars of the moth are destroyed.

Hydrocharis is often used as an aquarium plant - it is an original decorative light filter. In spawning tanks, it acts as a substrate for eggs and shelter for hatched fry.

In an aquarium, water color grows and multiplies in the same way as under open sky. All he needs is lighting and comfortable temperature. It receives nitrogen nutrition from the water, processing the waste products of the fish. Extra sockets are removed as they develop. In the absence of animals in the aquarium, hydrocharis is fed with a solution of urea (1 g of the substance per 1 liter of water) to stimulate growth.

Collection, storage and recipes with water paint

The medicinal raw material of the water color is grass during the flowering of the plant. It is collected from the surface of the reservoir with a net, observing safety precautions. To renew the population, some plants are left in place.

The raw material of the frog is excessively wet, so it is first laid out thin layer in the shade on outdoors and often stir. When the grass loses some of its moisture, it is transferred to a dryer or heated by metal roof attic. Paper bags are used for storage.

The infusion is the only one of the herbal preparations that is prepared on the basis of water paint. A tablespoon of dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for 2 hours. For insomnia and other disorders nervous system strained infusion is consumed 1-2 tablespoons three times a day.

In case of skin inflammations, a fresh sheet of water-color is crushed into gruel and applied to the affected area, changing the “green bandage” several times.

Vodokras - medicinal plant

A cheerful, emerald-bright frog with white drops of flowers is an exquisite decoration of forest backwaters, sunny ponds in private gardens and spawning aquariums. Despite its modest size, it soothes the nerves with the contrast of fresh greenery and dark water - an ideal plant for meditative contemplation.

Frog watercress - a floating plant often found in ponds with stagnant or slowly flowing water.

"Water paint sometimes covers completely large spaces, but is more common in small groups along with duckweeds. Perhaps this is due to the sanitary role of duckweeds, since watercresses are sensitive to water pollution and settle only in clear waters. Duckweeds, as it were, create a favorable habitat for water crabs.

Vodokras lives up to its name and really paints those secluded corners of the waters where it grows. Its juicy green leaves are scattered widely. They are almost round, with a deep heart-shaped notch at the base, very similar to the leaves of water lilies and egg-pods, but smaller than the latter. The length of the leaves is up to seven centimeters, the width is five centimeters. The upper side is smooth with a wax coating.

When water lilies, egg-pods, duckweeds and water-flowers meet in the same place, it seems that all this is one and the same plant, but only its different generations.

This is how Viktor Semyonovich Zhdanov describes the vodokras in his book "Aquarium Plants". This book was published in Moscow in 1973, and I advise those aquarists who are seriously engaged in the cultivation of various aquatic plants to get acquainted with it.

In summer, the water color multiplies strongly - from a bush plant. They diverge in all directions side shoots, giving new bush plants, which, in turn, sprout, etc. And very soon the surface of the aquarium is completely covered with these floating plants.

Vodokras is very difficult to keep in an aquarium in winter. By autumn, water-color gives a lot of overwintering buds in the form of onions. These onion buds sink to the bottom and remain there until spring. And in the spring (March - April), the buds open and give rise to new plants with nice name- water color

A warning! When moving plants from water bodies to an aquarium, remember that all plants must be carefully examined, old leaves and shoots that have begun to die off, and make sure that there is no hydra on the surface of leaves and stems. If the hydra gets into the aquarium, then it is very difficult to deal with it (I will tell you about the hydra a little later)! Look carefully if there are any snails or snail eggs on the leaves of plants brought from a pond, from a river, because along with plants, snails can also get into your aquarium, which will bring only trouble with them (our next story is about snails).

Literature: Onegov A. School of young naturalists. Living corner / Art. V. Radaev, V. Khramov. - M.: Det. lit., 1990. - 271 p.: ill.