Spring is a season when all things come to life. All kinds of flowers are in full bloom, exuding charming fragrance. However, among all kinds of flowers, there is one kind of flower with a very unique taste. This taste becomes a hot topic among people every year. This kind of flo

Spring is a season when all things come to life. All kinds of flowers are in full bloom, exuding charming fragrance. However, among all kinds of flowers, there is one kind of flower with a very unique taste. This taste becomes a hot topic among people every year.

This kind of flower is heather . Its smell is not only not fragrant, but also very unpleasant, which makes people feel very sick when it smells it. Heather is widely planted throughout southern my country. So since its smell is so disgusting, why do people still grow it? What kind of magic power does it have?

The "notorious" heather

Heather is the flower of an evergreen shrub of the genus Heather, which belongs to the Rosaceae . Heather trees are relatively tall and can grow to 3 to 6 meters, and the highest can reach more than 10 meters. Its crown is round, and its leaves grow densely. The leaves are red in the early stages, and they will be green all year round. They will also bear red fruits in the autumn, so Heather also has water red color. Tree , Millennium Red is another name for .

Heather is native to China and is now widely distributed in Japan, Indonesia and other places. Common types include Red-leaf Heather, Alderwood Heather, Small-leaf Heather and so on. This plant prefers a warm and humid environment, so is mostly distributed in the southern areas south of the Qinling in my country, such as Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Guangdong and other places. Heather is relatively easy to grow, does not have high environmental requirements, and is relatively drought-resistant, so it is a relatively common ornamental tree.

In April every year, it is the flowering season of heather. Heather appears in clusters, and its white petals form a flower ball. It is very delicate and beautiful. When paired with dense green leaves, it gives people a fresh and refined feeling. Heather did not have this name at first. Li Shizhen said that heather grows in the south of the middle of the stone, so it was first called "briar". Later, the radical "wood" was added, and it became heather. In ancient times, there was another allusion to the beauty of heather.

During the Tang Dynasty period, Yang Guifei became the king of China. After her death, Emperor Ming of Tang Li Longji was very sad. One day he saw the blooming heather in a temple and was instantly attracted by its flawless whiteness, roundness and plumpness. Introduced. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty loved heather very much, so he named the heather tree "Duanzheng tree". Later generations speculated that Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty might have thought of Yang Guifei's fair skin and beauty, and the beauty of the country through heather, and expressed his longing for Yang Guifei by viewing the flower. Their love story has also become a legend. .

However, beneath the beauty is the disgusting smell of heather. It emits a relatively strong fishy smell, making passers-by avoid it.. The smell of heather is described in foreign countries as "a milder hawthorn smell", but hawthorn is the least popular flower in the West, which is enough to show that heather is not loved by people in foreign countries.

Heather is planted on many university campuses in Wuhan, my country. When it is in full bloom, its smell is mixed with the scent of other flowers, causing students to take a detour or cover their noses to avoid smelling the smell . Every spring, students talk about it on campus. They call heather "the beginning of the spring nightmare" . Especially students from the north felt uncomfortable when they came into contact with this plant in the south for the first time. At Hangzhou Dianzi University, students even marked the location of the heather in the campus itinerary guide to remind people to avoid it.

How does heather produce the fishy smell?

Heather can emit such a fishy smell. It is mainly because plants in the heather family produce a component called " trimethylamine ".This kind of substance will emit a fishy smell when mixed in the air, and it also smells like disinfectant, which makes people feel disgusting. If there are heathers near your residence, during the flower season, the strong smell will make you unable to guard against them and you will not even dare to open the windows. Moreover, the smell of heather is very similar to the "spermine" in semen, so heather is also known as the "dirty flower", which makes people very embarrassed after smelling it.

Although heather will emit a fishy smell, this smell is harmless to the human body. In addition to the unpleasant smell, it will not cause other harm. Although this fishy smell is not friendly to humans, it can attract many insects, and the pollination activities carried out by heather are mainly carried out by these insects. Insects fly to the petals to contaminate pollen, and then fly to other heathers. In this way, the heathers complete the pollination and can continue from generation to generation.

Therefore, although the substances emitted by heather are harmless to the human body, if there are people who are allergic to pollen , they should avoid heather in April and May to prevent the pollen from irritating their bodies.

Why plant heathers

The smell of heather is off-putting to many people, so why are these heathers planted along the streets? First of all, as an ornamental tree, heather has strong ornamental value . Its petals are white and flawless, hugging each other, very beautiful, and its leaves are green all year round and will not fall off in autumn and winter. The fruits of heather are red and look like little red lanterns. They are a very beautiful scenery on the roadside.

Compared with other ornamental plants, the price of heather is very cheap. The price of a heather tree is only 5 yuan, which is very suitable for planting in large areas in cities. and heather does not have high environmental requirements, it is very easy to survive , and can withstand severe cold and drought environments. Heather also has a relatively strong ability to prevent diseases and pests, so it can thrive without investing too much cost in it. Therefore, heather has won the favor of many people due to its high cost performance.

Heather also has a strong air purification ability , which can effectively remove car exhaust and waste gas in the city, reduce roadside dust, and achieve the effect of purifying the air. Like other trees, heather also has good sound insulation capabilities, which can reduce noise and give people a good living environment.

Heather can also be eaten and is made into delicacies in many places . According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", heather can be used to make tea and wine, and has sedative and antipyretic effects, so heather also has medicinal value . Although heather emits a fishy smell, it is also a natural spice. People add the aroma substances extracted from it to tobacco, which will make the cigarette exude a nutty aroma and make the smoke softer and richer.

And heather also has a strong economic value . The wood can be used to make furniture, the seeds can be pressed for oil, soap and paint are made, and its trees can also be used to graft loquats . It is useful in all aspects. Has its own role.

Although people don't like the smell of heather, its flowering period is also very short, usually only about ten days. In the face of its huge role, the smell of is insignificant, and people can completely tolerate . Therefore, although heather has this shortcoming, it is still planted on a large scale in cities.

In addition to heather, there are many plants that also emit odor. Geranium is called the durian of flowers and plants . Its smell is very strong. Some people like this smell very much, while others find the smell very smoky and don't like it very much. They also call it smelly hydrangea. . Titan Amorphophallus is a giant flower , the heaviest can exceed 100 kilograms, but what is more impressive is its smell, it emits a corpse odor , but its flowers are very bright, It is also an ornamental flower and has been included in the world's endangered plant list.

Marigold is produced in Mexico and is now widely planted in our country. It is also famous for its unique odor. Although it is an ornamental flower, the odor emitted by marigold is still harmful to the human body. If you smell it for a long time, it will be detrimental to your health . Lantana is a tropical plant . It not only emits a smell, but its branches and leaves are poisonous . If accidentally taken, it will cause nausea and abdominal pain.

We live in a colorful world, and all kinds of strange plants add a lot of fun to our lives . However, various plants also have their own unique characteristics. Even flowers may emit strange smells, showing a different side of themselves in this diverse world.

Author: Changpangwanwan Proofreading Editor: W