Grass grass (Stipa pennatal L.) is a genus of perennials from the family of cereals. In the world there are more than 300 species, in our country - more than 80. These plants are widely distributed in the temperate zone in both hemispheres. In this article, we will examine in more detail one representative of this genus, namely, feathery feather grass.
This plant grows in Europe,
Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and Kazakhstan. In our country, feathery feather grass was originally distributed only on the territory of the steppes or terrain with rocky slopes. However, about 20 years ago, its seeds were brought to other regions of Russia, and now this plant can be found almost everywhere, mainly on roadsides, glades and fields.
The feathery grass feathery (the photo shows how this plant looks) is a perennial cereal growing up to 1 m in height. Its characteristic feature is long, narrow, rough leaves and fluffy panicle nets, extending from the grains that are in the ear. When the plant is still young and the seeds in it are not ripe, the back hairs are very soft. If you touch them, you immediately get the impression that you are stroking some furry animal. But everything changes after grains ripen at the feather grass. The edge of the ear becomes stiff and can be injured. These hairs are needed in order for heavy seeds to spread through the air - so a plant can sow a large area.
Cultivation for decorative purposes
Cirrus feathery - a beautiful plant. When the wind blows, it sways and falls to the ground, forming silver-gray waves. It seems that the earth is covered with a silk veil. Although this is very arbitrary - for many such a picture evokes melancholy. Be that as it may, feather grass is a rare guest in gardens and parks. It's all about the hard hairs - they are very spiky, and therefore gardeners do not like to grow this plant. However, the feathery feather is still occasionally planted as an addition to other flowers and shrubs in order to make some kind of garden composition.
In other cases, it is referred to as weed, as it causes significant harm to farms. It is not suitable for food by cattle, and if it is prepared together with hay, the animal can suffer - hard hairs can damage its mouth or esophagus. Livestock, on the other hand, eats very well.
Cirrus feathery is listed in the Red Book of Russia. This is due to the fact that its traditional habitats - the steppes - are increasingly plowed into useful crops or given for grazing. And although in small quantities this species of plant is found quite often, real feather grass steppes are already considered a valuable relic.
Application
Cirrus feathery is sometimes used in folk medicine. The chemical composition of this plant has not been studied, so it is not known which substances have an effect on the human body. However, herbalists and healers for many years use decoction of feather grass on milk for the treatment of diseases of the thyroid gland and poultice of leaves with paralysis. However, there is no evidence that such alternative methods will be effective or at least safe.