Why does the pink muhly grass, a popular internet celebrity from abroad, amaze the world?

Recently, the pink muhly grass has entered its best viewing period, and tourists from all over the country have been visiting and checking in at the pink muhly grass sea during holidays. Pink muhly grass is a common ornamental plant native to the North American grasslands. It is loved by people for its bright flowers and spectacular scenery.

The pink muhly grass that is loved by people (Source: Dongfang.com)

The autumn colors are picturesque. Recently, our circle of friends has been flooded with this kind of "Internet celebrity grass".

Large family with interesting name

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Pink muhly grass is a perennial herb in the genus Muhly grass of the Poaceae family, and a single plant can be up to 1 meter tall. The Poaceae family is a large family of seed plants, with more than 600 genera, mainly including three categories: one is food crops, such as rice and corn; one is food or raw materials, such as sugarcane and bamboo; the third is ornamental plants, such as muhly grass.

The family of muhly grass is very large, with more than 120 species, and pink muhly grass is the most famous one. Pink muhly grass blooms from September to November every year, and in some places it can last until early December. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Guatemala and other places, and the locals call it pink hair grass. Later it was introduced to China. At present, the main wild pink muhly grass in my country are Tianjin pink muhly grass, Shandong pink muhly grass and other varieties. The main places where pink muhly grass is planted on a large scale are Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan and other places.

The name of the muhly grass is very interesting. Powder and daisy were originally the pigments used by ancient women to make up. There are two types of powder and black powder. The ancients used it to refer to beautiful women. "Looking back and smiling, she is full of charm, and the beauties in the six palaces are pale in comparison." In the poem "Song of Everlasting Regret", the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi used "powder and daisy" to refer to the beauties in the palace except Yang Guifei. On the other hand, the ancients also used "powder and daisy" to name a variety of lotus, which is often reflected in poems.

Pink Dai, a type of lotus (Source: Zhuji Publishing House)

The key word in the name of pink muhly grass is "chaos". This word is reflected in two aspects. First, the awns on the grass are very long and grow in an interlaced manner; the flowers are arched at the top, and the pink patches give people the feeling of a sea of ​​clouds from a distance, but are more messy when viewed up close. Second, the leaves and inflorescences change color with the seasons. The leaves are green in spring, summer and autumn, and turn bronze in winter; the inflorescences are green in spring and summer, turn pink in autumn, and turn yellow in winter, and the inflorescences are the most beautiful in autumn.

Three seasonal changes of pink muhly grass in a year (Source: East Net)

Highly ornamental and easy to plant

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Pink muhly grass is one of the most widely planted and used ornamental grasses.

Ornamental grass refers to herbaceous plants with stems, leaves and flowers as the main ornamental parts, and ornamental value is better than other values. They mainly include plants of Cyperaceae and Poaceae. Most of them have beautiful flowers or slender stems and leaves, such as Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Carex, etc. According to their adaptability to temperature, ornamental grasses are divided into cool season ornamental grasses and warm season ornamental grasses. Pink muhly grass belongs to warm season ornamental grasses. Warm season ornamental grasses have strong invasive power, and it is difficult for other grasses to invade after they form a scale. This is the main reason why pink muhly grass grows in patches and forms a sea of ​​pink flowers.

The cultivation history of ornamental grasses abroad is relatively long. Beginning in the 10th century, wealthy people began to plant beautiful wild grasses in high-end residences. my country did not introduce ornamental grasses from abroad on a large scale until the 1980s.

Close-up of pink muhly grass (source see watermark)

As a representative of ornamental grass, pink muhly grass is widely loved by people because of its strong adaptability and low planting cost. It can tolerate drought or barren land, acid and alkali resistance, short-term (usually 2 to 3 weeks) flooding, and can grow in clay and sandy soil. According to research, pink muhly grass is native to the barren land of the North American prairie and the acidic soil along the road in Missouri, USA. This is why there are frequent reports of pink muhly grass around the country around National Day.

Strong medicinal properties and special fragrance

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What is less known is that in addition to being an ornamental plant, pink muhly grass also has high medicinal and edible value.

Pain relief and detoxification are the most obvious medicinal value points of pink muhly grass. Studies have shown that the most valuable medicinal ingredient in the stems and leaves of pink muhly grass is a substance called deophyllin. Deophyllin is antioxidant and antibacterial, and can effectively protect the human body from free radical damage. Therefore, pink muhly grass can be used to treat sore throats, relieve pain from injuries and even has a certain effect on burns. Its stems and roots contain polyphenols, amino acids and other chemical substances with health functions, which have the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing dampness, so people use it as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat some diseases such as rheumatism and eczema caused by moisture.

Pink muhly grass has a light fragrance, which can only be felt by getting close to it and sniffing it carefully. Its fragrance gives people a fresh and comfortable feeling, and there is a distinct coolness when you are in the sea of ​​flowers. Some foreign hospitals, such as Wesley Woods Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, try to plant pink muhly grass in the hospital, because the fragrance of the grass makes patients happy, calm their minds, and helps their physical recovery.

In addition, the stems and leaves of pink muhly grass can be used to extract aromatic oils, and the seeds can be used to make edible oils or spices. Pink muhly grass can be said to be a treasure in itself.

Smelling the faint fragrance, having an intimate encounter with the pink muhly grass (Photo source: Shanshui Guike)

The flower language of pink muhly grass is "waiting for love". The afterglow shines on the inflorescence, emitting a romantic light, just like love. Go, in late autumn, go out of the house, go to the sea of ​​pink muhly grass, and have a romantic date with the one you have been waiting for for a long time!

References:

1. "Morphological characteristics and cultivation technology analysis of pink muhly grass", author Zhang Xuezhen, "Modern Horticulture" 2021 Issue 10

2. "A Preliminary Study on the Introduction and Cultivation of Several Imported Ornamental Grasses in Tianjin", author He Wanjia, "Garden Science and Technology" 2018 No. 4

3. "History, Current Status and Prospects of Ornamental Grasses", by Xu Zerong, Liu Hanqiong and Xu Wei, Grass Science, 2019, No. 5