Mouse peas
There are plants that are similar in name, but have huge differences. These include mouse pea and mouse hyacinth. The names sound almost the same and it seems that the plants should have the same qualities. But in reality it's completely different flowers. So what are they?
Popularly, mouse peas have many names: sparrow pods, crane peas, chenille and others. Perennial peas has a highly developed root system. The main rhizome can go into the ground to a depth of more than two meters. Lateral roots are located on the surface and in a small depth. Mouse peas have thin ribbed stems that can reach a length of over two meters. Thanks to the antennae they have, they are able to “climb” neighboring plants. This enhances the already abundant branching. The leaves are pinnate. One branch can have up to 12 pairs of leaves 20-25 cm long and up to 8 mm wide. At their end there are antennae. A large number of color brushes form one dense, one-sided inflorescence. There can be more than ten of them on one stem. Small flowers have an original color - a mixture of purple and blue or lilac and blue. White color is extremely rare on a plant such as mouse pea. Dark Seeds ripen in the form of balls in oblong beans. It grows almost everywhere in Russia, but prefers forest and steppe zones. Mouse peas can be found both on the edges and in the mountains, in swamps and dry places.
Reproduction
Propagated by seeds or vegetatively. Excellent use of cross pollination. The fruits set and ripen only when good conditions and the weather. Therefore, the flower mainly uses roots for propagation. Blooms all summer. This is great honey plant, which is also an ideal feed for livestock.
Mouse hyacinth
Its second name is muscari. That's what they call him because of his amazing aroma- it resembles the smell of musk. And the word "mouse" appeared thanks to him small sizes. There are more than forty species of this plant. The most common variety is Armenian muscari. It is distinguished by its decorative effect: the elongated inflorescences are painted in blue-lilac colors. Small flowers are white, blue or of blue color. This plant looks amazing when planted in groups. Dense inflorescences can be compared with small bright berries, collected in clusters. The flowers are shaped like small bells. The buds bloom very early, in April-May, followed by a period of rest. For propagation, seeds or baby bulbs are used, which grow in abundance. In a few years you can achieve a thick covering on the ground. For bulbous propagation, seed material is planted in early autumn at a shallow depth. Flowers will appear only after a couple of years. Muscari grows on any soil, but is more suitable for this plant fertile soil. It winters well, but dies from stagnant water.
Attention!
The plant is very poisonous, it is necessary to work with it, observing safety precautions.
Mouse pea is a widespread honey plant, which received its name for the similarity of the seeds (beans) to real peas. Remedies from it can have a calming, wound-healing, hemostatic and anticonvulsant effect. Before use, you should consult a doctor for advice, since the spectrum of action of mouse peas has not been fully studied and its use may be unsafe.
Description
Mouse pea is a herbaceous wild perennial. The plant has many other folk names: rakes, sparrow pods, mouse vetch, mice, crane peas and others.
It belongs to the legume family, genus Vetch. There are about 150 plant varieties that grow almost everywhere. In the CIS countries there are 80 of its species, 10 are cultivated in agriculture as a fodder crop.
A distinctive feature of the plant is that it is a good honey plant. The places where it grows are varied. Grass can often be found in meadow grass stands, in forests at the edges and in bushes, and on the edges of roads. It often grows in grain crops, clogging them.
Botanical description of the plant:
- 1. The root system of mouse peas is taprooted and well branched.
- 2. Shoots can grow up to 1.5 m in length, and sometimes even more.
- 3. Stems are appressed or bare.
- 4. 8–15 pairs of leaves form compound leaves, which have paired stipules. With the help of antennae located at the top of the leaf, the mouse pea clings to the supports.
- 5. Flowers collected in complex inflorescences, lilac in color.
- 6. The fruits, which are seed pods (beans), are about 1.5 cm in size.
The flowering period of mouse peas is from June to September.
Compound
The chemical composition of the plant includes many components beneficial to human health.
Mouse peas contain the following substances in large quantities:
- ascorbic acid;
- carotene;
- tocopherol;
- flavonoids;
- calcium;
- phosphorus.
At the same time, the plant contains poisonous narcotic substance- glycoside vicianin.
Application
Medicinal properties of mouse peas official medicine have not yet found application. This is due to the fact that their spectrum has not been fully studied. However traditional healers already for a long time use this plant in their practice.
It is used for rapid healing of wounds, and also as a decongestant, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory agent. Long term use has a positive effect in the treatment of benign tumors.
Included medicinal infusions and mouse pea lotions are used in combination with other medicinal plants, and independently.
In folk medicine, the herb is used in preparing an infusion to treat the following diseases and conditions:
- 1. Viral hepatitis. Pour 20 g of dry mouse pea roots into 200 ml of clean water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Cover with a lid and leave for 2 hours. Strain the broth. Take orally 3 times a day, 70 ml per dose.
- 2. Edema. Add 20 g of dried herbs to 200 ml of clean water. Bring the mixture to a boil and leave on low heat for 5 minutes. Infuse the decoction for 2 hours. Take 2 tablespoons of infusion orally three times a day.
- 3. Cuts and purulent wounds. Pour 3 tablespoons of dried raw materials from the stems and leaves of mouse peas into 0.5 liters of boiling water. Wrap it well for 2 hours or leave the mixture in a thermos. Use as a lotion by applying cotton cloth or gauze soaked in the product to the affected areas.
When deciding to use folk recipes, it is important to remember that self-medication, including herbs, is dangerous. It is necessary to consult with your doctor and take into account contraindications.
Mouse peas
It’s nice to look at the dense herbs in the young summer. It spreads lushly along road embankments, on elan trees - forest clearings, along clearings and wet meadows reserved for haymaking. That's when the creeping mouse grass appears in sight. It spreads in purple spills over the cereals that are just pulling out the tube. The reign of the mouse pea seems short-lived - while it blooms. But it will fade a little, and it’s not easy to find: there are few catchy signs, and there is no end to the variety of herbs.
Most mouse peas (Vicia Cracca) in forest, floodplain and steppe meadows. He is also a regular in sparse forests. It is not picky about soils: it grows well both on podzols, leached soils, and on chernozems. It is perfectly adapted to flooding, is drought-resistant and is not afraid of severe winters with little snow. Maybe that’s why you meet it everywhere within our country, where there are meadows, whether flat or mountainous. Yes, and in bushy places, mouse peas are not uncommon, and in crops, if weeds are allowed, they will show up.
Of all the wines for which mouse peas are the most close relative, only he has to get to late autumn: green until the snow. The stems of this grass are long, up to one and two meters, and by their nature they are climbing - with the help of curls at the end of the feathery leaves they can climb the stems of other plants, capturing the most illuminated heights. The leaves of the mouse pea are multi-paired (from 6 to 12), oblong, small, sometimes grayish in color due to the abundance of dense hairs. Peduncles usually do not extend beyond the level of the leaves; the flowers are collected in a brush of 20-40 pieces. They are no longer than a fingernail, bell-shaped, the lower teeth are longer than the upper ones. The corolla, in addition to its purple color, can also be purple-blue and even white. Dense multi-flowered clusters do not cease to shine from the end of May until full autumn, but the splendor of flowering is still limited to young summer. The grass is pollinated by insects. Mouse peas are a decent honey plant...
And then pods appeared on the branches, oblong and narrow. When ripe, they crack lengthwise, throwing out small peas of seeds. From one plant you can count up to six hundred of them! But there are no more than 4-8 seeds in a pod. They are black or spotted in appearance; the scar, clearly visible, covers up to a third of the circumference of the seed. Seed germination is low, only 10-13 percent; after scarification (mechanical damage to the surface of the seeds), it increases almost 7-8 times. By the way, these peas are excellent food for pigeons and geese.
Why is our pea nicknamed “mouse”? Popular rumors about plants usually assigned the epithet “mouse” to all those seeds that in appearance seemed to resemble edible ones, but were not suitable for the table. “Mousey” in the meaning “wild” is a symbol of variegated peas enveloping the tops of succulent grasses. Due to the glycoside vicianin, which makes flour and porridge bitter, mouse peas serve as a support for bread only in small impurities, while in their appearance the seeds seem quite edible. Approximately the same shade is reflected in the foreign names of this plant. Take, for example, Chuvash nicknames mouse wiki: “turnya-purzya” means crane peas, and a nickname like “vit-purzya” means small peas.
Local Russian names are no less capacious and bizarre: Nizhny Novgorod residents called mouse peas sparrow pods, Tambov residents - mouse, Vladimir residents - sparrow flowers, Vyatichi - knitting, Kuryans - rake (pods like fingers on a rake block) and lapwing sock (based on the resemblance of the fruit to the beak) . True, similarity is a relative sign; to others, the pods looked more like jackdaw beaks. Or perhaps the word “dawdaw” was used to emphasize the inedibility of wild peas. It’s not clear why Voronezh residents called mice broken grass? Is it because the mouse pea climbs, clings and, stretching, holds its flexible ribbed stem in a straight position. “There were a lot of flowers growing there: crane peas, porridge, bluebells, forget-me-nots, field carnations,” we read in I. Turgenev’s story “Quail.”
This perennial plant is valuable for its fodder qualities. Its green tops are more tender and nutritious than those of other vetches. In the flowering and fruiting phase, one hundred kilograms of peas contain up to 27 feed units and up to 4 kilograms of digestible protein! It is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, carotene and life-giving vitamin C. All types of livestock readily eat mouse peas. Here is what an old botanical guide writes: “It sometimes drowns out arable land and thus annoys plowmen, but in the meadows it makes hay for cattle that is very useful and pleasant; all cattle willingly devour it.” As a hay plant, peas are cultivated in grass mixtures, which are very productive and beneficial for the farm. This grass mixture produces up to 113 centners of delicious, ringing hay per hectare in two mowings. Isn't this a gift to the sower? Mouse peas remain abundant in grass stands for at least ten years, but in the first two years of life they are just gaining strength and do not have significant productivity. But from the third year he is weighty and powerful.
Domestic meadow growers have tried to sow this grass in its pure form.
The fruits of mouse peas are not useless. They are eaten not only by geese, but also by chickens. Before feeding to poultry, peas are soaked in clean water, so it will be better absorbed. Talking about feed value herbs, we must also keep in mind the role of this or that species in the nutrition of wild animals. In mouse peas this role is quite noticeable. In the wild, sika deer and white hares feast on it. In Altai, deer are seen nibbling pea shoots.
The nimble creeping grass spreads in purple waves in June. Spreads, choosing a space for itself to settle in. And of course he finds it, since there is such an abundance of this grass!
On the image mouse peas: general form flowering plant, rhizome part, flower, fruit and seed.
Based on materials from the magazine “Science and Life” No. 09, 1977
It’s nice to look at the dense herbs in the young summer. It spreads lushly along road embankments, on elan trees - forest clearings, along clearings and wet meadows reserved for haymaking. That's when the creeping mouse grass appears in sight. It spreads in purple spills over the cereals that are just pulling out the tube. The reign of the mouse pea seems short-lived - while it blooms. But it will fade a little, and it’s not easy to find: there are few catchy signs, and there is no end to the variety of herbs.
Most of the mouse peas (Vicia cracca) are found in forest, floodplain and steppe meadows. He is also a regular in sparse forests. It is not picky about soils: it grows well both on podzols, leached soils, and on chernozems. It is perfectly adapted to flooding, is drought-resistant and is not afraid of severe winters with little snow. Maybe that’s why you meet it everywhere within our country, where there are meadows, whether flat or mountainous. Yes, and in bushy places, mouse peas are not uncommon, and in crops, if weeds are allowed, they will show up.
Of all the wines to which the mouse pea is the closest relative, only it has to last until late autumn: it turns green until the snow. The stems of this grass are long, up to one and two meters, and by their nature they are climbing - with the help of curls at the end of the feathery leaves they can climb the stems of other plants, capturing the most illuminated heights. The leaves of the mouse pea are multi-paired (from 6 to 12), oblong, small, sometimes grayish in color due to the abundance of dense hairs. Peduncles usually do not extend beyond the level of the leaves; the flowers are collected in a brush of 20-40 pieces. They are no longer than a fingernail, bell-shaped, the lower teeth are longer than the upper ones. The corolla, in addition to its purple color, can also be purple-blue and even white. Dense multi-flowered clusters do not cease to shine from the end of May until full autumn, but the splendor of flowering is still limited to young summer. The grass is pollinated by insects. Mouse peas are a decent honey plant...
And then pods appeared on the branches, oblong and narrow. When ripe, they crack lengthwise, throwing out small peas of seeds. From one plant you can count up to six hundred of them! But there are no more than 4-8 seeds in a pod. They are black or spotted in appearance; the scar, clearly visible, covers up to a third of the circumference of the seed. Seed germination is low, only 10-13 percent; after scarification (mechanical damage to the surface of the seeds), it increases almost 7-8 times. By the way, these peas are excellent food for pigeons and geese.
Why is our pea nicknamed “mouse”? Popular rumors about plants usually assigned the epithet “mouse” to all those seeds that in appearance seemed to resemble edible ones, but were not suitable for the table. “Mousey” in the meaning “wild” is a symbol of variegated peas enveloping the tops of succulent grasses. Due to the glycoside vicianin, which makes flour and porridge bitter, mouse peas serve as a support for bread only in small impurities, while in their appearance the seeds seem quite edible. Approximately the same shade is reflected in the foreign names of this plant. Take, for example, the Chuvash nicknames for the mouse vetch: “turnya-purzi” means crane peas, and a nickname like “vit-purzya” means small peas.
Local Russian names are no less capacious and bizarre: Nizhny Novgorod residents called mouse peas sparrow pods, Tambov residents - mouse, Vladimir residents - sparrow flowers, Vyatichi - knitting, Kuryans - rake (pods like fingers on a rake block) and lapwing sock (based on the resemblance of the fruit to the beak) . True, similarity is a relative sign; to others, the pods looked more like jackdaw beaks. Or perhaps the word “dawdaw” was used to emphasize the inedibility of wild peas. It’s not clear why Voronezh residents called mice broken grass? Is it because the mouse pea climbs, clings and, stretching, holds its flexible ribbed stem in a straight position. “There were a lot of flowers growing there: crane peas, porridge, bluebells, forget-me-nots, field carnations,” we read in I. Turgenev’s story “Quail.”
This perennial plant is valuable for its fodder qualities. Its green tops are more tender and nutritious than those of other vetches. In the flowering and fruiting phase, one hundred kilograms of peas contain up to 27 feed units and up to 4 kilograms of digestible protein! It is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, carotene and life-giving vitamin C. All types of livestock readily eat mouse peas. Here is what an old botanical guide writes: “It sometimes drowns out arable land and thus annoys plowmen, but in the meadows it makes hay for cattle that is very useful and pleasant; all cattle willingly devour it.” As a hay plant, peas are cultivated in grass mixtures, which are very productive and beneficial for the farm. This grass mixture produces up to 113 centners of delicious, ringing hay per hectare in two mowings. Isn't this a gift to the sower? Mouse peas remain abundant in grass stands for at least ten years, but in the first two years of life they are just gaining strength and do not have significant productivity. But from the third year he is weighty and powerful.
Domestic meadow growers have tried to sow this grass in its pure form.
The fruits of mouse peas are not useless. They are eaten not only by geese, but also by chickens. Before feeding poultry, peas are soaked in clean water, so they will be better absorbed. When talking about the nutritional value of grass, we must also keep in mind the role of a particular species in the nutrition of wild animals. In mouse peas this role is quite noticeable. In the wild, sika deer and white hares feast on it. In Altai, deer are seen nibbling pea shoots.
The nimble creeping grass spreads in purple waves in June. Spreads, choosing a space for itself to settle in. And of course he finds it, since there is such an abundance of this grass!
The feathery leaves of the mouse pea are very interesting - they can fold or straighten depending on the strength of sunlight.
There is something interesting about mouse peas and on the roots - there, in small growths, there are peculiar “apartments” for microbes, which are very useful for the soil and plant nutrition. These microbes can do amazing things chemical work, extracting nitrogen from the air and accumulating nitrogen. As a result, the growths increase and turn into nodules filled with valuable substances.
In folk medicine it is used as an emollient, wound-healing, hemostatic agent.
It has been known for a long time as a plant whose fruits are edible. In the past, during lean years, the population of Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania consumed mouse pea seeds for food. Flour was ground from ripe seeds, which was used as an additive in baking; porridges and stews were cooked from this flour. The seeds taste like lentils. Before using them for food, they must be thoroughly washed and boiled or soaked in soda solution. In England, a decoction of the plant was given to infants as complementary food.
Mouse pea is a perennial herbaceous species, legume family. Can be found on a slope, meadow, edge, in the forest, near residential buildings, near roads. Mouse peas are a valuable honey plant, feeding species, often used in medicinal purposes. Popular names include mouse vetch, crane peas, mice, sparrow flower, lapwing sock, sparrow pods, rake.
Description of mouse peas
The plant can reach a height of about 150 cm and is distinguished by a branched, weak stem. Mouse pea has thin leaves, they can be pubescent with different sides, are distinguished by their sharpness. The flowers are collected in a racemose inflorescence, it can be blue, white, purple, lilac color. It begins to bloom in summer and continues until autumn. Long beans are the fruit of the mouse pea.
Mouse peas can also grow on dried soil and are resistant to frost and cold. Most often found in the Caucasus, Siberia, and Europe. Bears fruit in rich soils. Normal to large amounts of moisture.
Use of mouse peas for economic purposes
Due to the fact that mouse peas are a forage species, they are used to feed livestock; often entire hectares are planted with them, so healthy food is prepared for animals.
In order for the plant to be used as silage, it must be planted near oats, corn, sunflowers, and barley. Some are considered a plant effective fertilizer. It is best to plant it in late spring.
Useful properties of mouse peas
The most commonly used are herbs and plant roots. Mouse peas have a rich composition, they contain a large number of ascorbic acid, tocopherol, calcium, carotene, flavonoids, phosphorus.
Official medicine has not yet fully studied all useful composition plants, therefore does not use it in preparations. ethnoscience has been appreciating mouse peas for a long time; it is one of the best anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, absorbent, hemostatic, and diuretic medicines.
Collection and storage of mouse peas
Root and herb are harvested in summer period. To do this, you need to take a shovel and carefully dig out the root without damaging it. Shake off the soil and wash it cold water, dry thoroughly fresh air. Store in special bags for no more than two years, then it can lose all its beneficial features. The root of the plant should not be compacted too much to prevent the mouse peas from becoming moldy and damp.
Uses of mouse peas
The plant can cure a viral infection; to do this, you need to drink a decoction based on the root of the plant. To prepare it, you need to chop the plant and pour 200 ml of boiling water. Boil over low heat for about 10 minutes. Leave for 3 hours. Take 50 ml morning, afternoon and evening.
You can get rid of ascites and edema with the help of this recipe, for it you will need mouse pea grass up to two tablespoons, add 300 ml of water. Boil for up to 8 minutes over low heat. Leave for three hours. Take up to two tablespoons three times a day.
Bleeding and bronchitis can be cured with the help of an infusion; to prepare it you need to take mouse pea grass - 3 tablespoons, add 400 ml of water. Boil everything. Leave for about two hours. Take before eating, three times 60 ml.
In case of inflammation in the lymph nodes, breasts, benign tumors, rheumatism, you need to use poultices based on mouse peas. The infusion can be used for lotions; with their help you can heal boils, various skin lesions, and get rid of poisonous insect bites.
In ancient times, healers in Scotland advised eating the tubers of the plant to get rid of hunger. It has been proven that those who consumed mouse peas forgot about food. Modern pharmacology is developing a weight loss product that contains mouse peas.
Fresh herbs, which must first be crushed or processed into dry powder, can heal abscesses. Poultices are used to treat a benign tumor; it is easy to soften it.
Contraindications for eating mouse peas
It is forbidden to use the plant if a person has problems with salt metabolism, suffers from dehydration, or has been bothered for a long time. Mouse peas are also contraindicated for people who suffer from overweight, dysentery. Self-medication with the plant is prohibited; this can lead to serious consequences.
Mouse pea seeds have a bitter taste and contain a drug - the glycoside vicianin. plant in fresh It contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, carotene, seeds, and protein. These features must be taken into account during internal reception.
It has a toxic effect on the human body, therefore, if the dosage is not followed, severe symptoms may occur. In this situation, you need to rinse your stomach as quickly as possible. On the farm, hay from mouse peas is prohibited for lactating mares, foals, small calves, and lambs.
Mouse peas as the main honey plant
Bees collect large amounts of nectar from the plant. The flowers resemble elongated cones. If the plant is actively blooming, insects can collect about 80 kg of honey from it. Nectar is most often clear when it crystallizes and turns white. With the help of honey from mouse peas, many diseases can be cured, so it is used for medicinal purposes.
So, traditional healers use mouse peas as a means for healing wounds; it has a softening effect. It is popular in Yugoslavia, Poland, and Romania. Flour is obtained from mature seeds, which can be used to make porridge. The seeds resemble the taste of lentils. Before consuming them, you must first wash the seeds and add a solution of soda. The English have long used mouse peas for infant in the form of complementary foods. Despite the rich composition, you need to be careful when using this type of plant, it contains a large amount of toxic substances.