Content
Multi-flowered kupena is an exquisite plant with touching drooping greenish bell-shaped flowers, swaying from the slightest breath of wind. Thanks to the decorative foliage and graceful bending of the stem, the flower is attractive at any time of the year.
Garden lily of the valley bushes bloom in May-June
Botanical description
Kupena multiflorum (Polugonatum multiflorum) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family. Asparagus. The flower is a close relative of the May lily of the valley. The perennial received its Latin name for the peculiar shape of its rhizome; its literal translation from Latin is “knee” and “many.” The popular names of the plant are “garden lily of the valley”, “wild hellebore”, “Solomon’s seal”.
Kupena multiflora reaches a height of 50-100 cm, has a stem curved by a rocker, ovoid glossy foliage of a bluish-green hue. Inflorescences emerge from the leaf axils in groups of 2-5 pieces on fused stalks. The buds of the kupena are multi-flowered, oblong in shape, lowered down, held on thin stems.The flowers are bisexual and are small, fragrant white bells with green teeth along the edges. The flowering period is about one and a half months, starting in mid-May. In summer, ovaries are formed in the form of ink-colored berries.
The root system of the multifloral plant is located superficially and grows horizontally. Over time, the roots become lignified and acquire a characteristic multi-articulation. On the knotty rhizome, rounded “seals” are clearly visible - traces of dead shoots from previous years. The foliage of Kupena multiflora dries out at the end of the growing season, the buds overwinter on the rhizome in the ground, awakening in early spring.
Distribution area
The perennial is widespread in the wild in European territory, the Caucasus, and grows everywhere in Siberia and the Far East. Multifloral bushes prefer semi-shaded places in clearings and clearings, in deciduous and coniferous copses, and can grow in lowlands and ravines.
Is it poisonous or not?
All parts of the flower contain plant alkaloids, the highest concentration of which is found in the berries. Kupena multiflorum is a poisonous plant. If the herb is accidentally consumed, digestive disorders, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations may occur. The juice of the flower can cause a burn to the skin.
Application in landscape design
The hardiness and unpretentiousness of Kupena multiflorum, the ability to grow in shaded areas of the garden, have led to the widespread use of the perennial in creating a variety of compositions. In mixborders, the curved stems of the multifloral plant look exquisite next to brightly flowering perennials: phlox, daylilies, astilbes.Spring bulbs look great against the backdrop of the plant's young green foliage.
Kupena multiflora is attractive against the background of wooden compositions and rocky landscapes. Garden lily of the valley bushes are planted along the banks of artificial reservoirs along with iris and forest geranium. Kupena multiflorum can become a decoration for the apothecary garden, along with other medicinal plants: monarda, valerian, lemon balm.
Composition in a shady corner of the garden with a multi-flowered flower
The ability of the rhizomatous plant to grow strongly in the shade of buildings is used to decorate spaces on the north side of buildings. Plantings of multiflorum are used to camouflage fences and other technical buildings, and perennials are planted in the tree trunks of fruit and ornamental shrubs.
Reproduction methods
Kupena multiflorum is propagated by seeds and division of the rhizome. The flower seed can be extracted independently or purchased at the store. The method of seed propagation is lengthy and painstaking; it is used when a large number of seedlings is required.
Seed propagation order:
- the grains are washed and dried;
- stratified in the lower compartment of the refrigerator for 30-45 days;
- sow in a sand-peat substrate to a depth of 5 mm, keep in a cool room at +3-5 ˚С for 3-5 months;
- place the container with the crops in a lighted place at +22-24 ˚C, cover it with polyethylene or glass;
- arrange regular ventilation, sprouts that appear are sprayed daily.
It is much easier to propagate the multifloral plant vegetatively - by dividing the rhizome. The plant is dug out of the ground, and the creeping root is divided into several parts with a sharp knife or shovel. Each division of the plant must have a root system and a healthy bud. Vegetative propagation performs an additional function - rejuvenation of the perennial, which the flower needs every 4-5 years.
Planting and caring for multi-flowered kupena
Garden lily of the valley is able to grow on poor soils, but develops well and fully blooms on fertile loose soils in places located in partial shade. The flower does not tolerate stagnation of water; close groundwater causes rotting of the rhizome.
Landing dates and rules
Seedlings purchased in a store are placed in open ground in the spring. The bushes obtained by dividing the rhizomes are planted in the soil in late August early September. The prepared area is cleared of weeds and dug up with the addition of organic matter.
Parts of the rhizome are placed horizontally in the prepared holes, to a depth of 7-10 cm, keeping a distance of 20-30 cm between plants. The plantings are lightly compacted, carefully watered, making sure that part of the root does not appear on the surface of the ground. The bush begins to actively develop only after 2 years. Growing in breadth, it forms a dense clump that blooms annually.
Features of care
The perennial is not capricious and does not require special attention. Only young plants need weeding and loosening; work should be carried out carefully, trying not to damage the surface root system. Replacing loosening with mulching gives good results. The flower needs to be restrained; an aggressive plant can inhibit other plantings.Rejuvenation of Kupena multiflora should be carried out regularly; old rhizomes at the age of 7-8 years do not take root well in a new place.
Young bushes of Kupena multiflorum are distinguished by abundant flowering
Watering and fertilizing schedule
The perennial is moisture-loving, but during most of the year it can be content with the amount of moisture obtained from precipitation. Watering is carried out during the budding period, when the plant especially needs water, during dry periods, when the soil surface is significantly dry.
Kupena multiflorum is fed with complex mineral fertilizer 2 times a year: during the formation of buds and to support the bush after flowering. When growing on infertile soils, organic matter is added once a year in the form of humus.
Preparing for winter
Kupena multiflorum is capable of overwintering without shelter. The ground part dies off in the fall. The rhizome with dormant buds tolerates cold in the soil. In areas where frosty weather with little snow cover is possible, kupena bushes are mulched with a sand-peat mixture.
Diseases and pests
Garden lily of the valley has high immunity to fungal and viral diseases. Powdery mildew only affects plants during long periods of cool, rainy weather. The flower is treated with a fungicide, after removing the diseased leaf blades.
The succulent foliage of Kupena multiflorum attracts leaf-eating parasites: caterpillars and insect larvae. For minor lesions, folk repellent infusions are used. Large colonies of pests are treated with contact insecticides.In rainy weather, the plant is attacked by slugs, which they fight with the help of the drug “Metaldehyde”.
In rare cases, Kupena multiflorum suffers from soil worms - nematodes. The plant cannot be cured; it has to be thrown away and the soil must be disinfected with Fufanon.
Application of multi-color coupon
The medicinal properties of the flower have long been known to traditional healers. The plant juice contains valuable organic substances: alkaloids, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, fructose, starch. The composition of the multifloral berries contains cardiac glycosides.
In folk medicine
The medicinal plant has antimicrobial, hemostatic, and analgesic properties. Folk recipes based on multiflorum are used to inhibit the growth of benign tumors.
Decoctions and infusions of the plant help with the following diseases:
- inflammation of the respiratory tract, bronchitis;
- joint diseases - arthritis, arthrosis, gout;
- problems with the heart and blood vessels, atherosclerosis;
- pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, ulcers, colitis;
- for tumors - fibroids, fibroids, prostate adenoma;
- skin rashes in the form of blisters and abscesses.
The blue-black berries of the plant contain cardiac glycosides
In other areas
Despite the presence of poisonous alkaloids, the multifloral plant is used in cooking. Young shoots are boiled, drained, and then stewed. Used as a side dish for meat dishes. The national Armenian snack is a spicy marinade made from the leaves and stems of the plant.
Conclusion
The unpretentious and graceful multi-flowered kupena is popular among gardeners due to the flower’s ability to fill the shady corners of the garden plot, displacing weeds. The perennial is compatible with most ornamental plants, is undemanding to care, and is little susceptible to disease. Cultivating and propagating the multifloral plant is quite within the capabilities of a novice amateur with little experience in growing flowers.
