Enjoying often overlooked beauty spots
By Lu Feiran |
October 27, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MINHANG isn't known as a botanical paradise, but there are plenty of flowers and plants here to provide beauty to the discerning eye and even comfort to the aching body.
Most of the plants found in Minhang are of an ornamental nature, while others are prized as herbal remedies.
Come with us on a mini-tour of Minhang horticulture.
Chinese milk vetch
Where to find: Street sides in Zhuanqiao, Maqiao and Pujiang towns
Chinese milk vetch was once used almost exclusively as a green manure, but its vivid colors and long blooming season add brightness in unlikely spots and help dispel notions that the plant is just a weed.
The Minhang District Agriculture Commission has planted nearly 25 hectares of Chinese milk vetch in the three towns.
Buddleja
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park, Gate 1
The Chinese name for Buddleja is zuiyucao, which means "grass intoxicating fish." It is said that if fish eat the plant, their bodies go numb, as if they were drunk. The plant, however, can be used as a medicinal herb to invigorate blood circulation and soothe bug bites.
Royal water lily
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park
The best season for viewing royal water lily has past, but the large leaves that remain are novel in their own right. Some leaves are said to grow as big as 10 square meters and can bear 70 kilograms of weight. It's said you could seat a baby on a leaf without harm, but we aren't suggesting you try it.
Lavender
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park
Lavender is prized as the "queen of fragrant flowers." Apart from its beautiful violet color and heavy fragrance, lavender can be used to treat colds, insomnia and stomach aches. It also makes a great sachet to tuck into clothing drawers or under sleeping pillows.
Lavender originally comes from Europe and wasn't widely introduced in China until 1963. Even now in Shanghai, it's rare to spot lavender in downtown area.
Trumpet creeper
Where to find: 298 Shuiqing Road
Usually grown in more inland areas of China, the trumpet creeper is seldom seen in Shanghai. In Minhang, it was first planted by Li Jinqi, a resident in Xinzhuang. Li said he spends an hour taking care of the flowers every day.
The trumpet creeper is bright red and blooms throughout summer and autumn. It's a blaze of color along walls.
Corn poppy
Where to find: Ping'an and Xinmiao roadsides
The corn poppy looks very much like the opium poppy, but it has no opiate properties and is legal to plant anywhere. The flower is popular in gardens and flowerbeds.
Mallow
Where to find: Xinghejingyuan residential area in Xinzhuang
Mallow has special fragrance and is often made into tea. Apart from its fine taste, the color of the tea is also curious because it turns pink if a bit of lemon juice is added.
Mallow can also be used as a herb to treat sore throat and constipation.
Clover
Where to find: Zizhu Binjiang Forest Park
Clover is not rare, but finding one with four leaves is a popular pursuit among luck-seekers around the world.
Only one in 10,000 clovers has four leaves. The three common leaves of a clover represent "hope," "faith" and "love," while the fourth signifies "luck."
Most of the plants found in Minhang are of an ornamental nature, while others are prized as herbal remedies.
Come with us on a mini-tour of Minhang horticulture.
Chinese milk vetch
Where to find: Street sides in Zhuanqiao, Maqiao and Pujiang towns
Chinese milk vetch was once used almost exclusively as a green manure, but its vivid colors and long blooming season add brightness in unlikely spots and help dispel notions that the plant is just a weed.
The Minhang District Agriculture Commission has planted nearly 25 hectares of Chinese milk vetch in the three towns.
Buddleja
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park, Gate 1
The Chinese name for Buddleja is zuiyucao, which means "grass intoxicating fish." It is said that if fish eat the plant, their bodies go numb, as if they were drunk. The plant, however, can be used as a medicinal herb to invigorate blood circulation and soothe bug bites.
Royal water lily
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park
The best season for viewing royal water lily has past, but the large leaves that remain are novel in their own right. Some leaves are said to grow as big as 10 square meters and can bear 70 kilograms of weight. It's said you could seat a baby on a leaf without harm, but we aren't suggesting you try it.
Lavender
Where to find: Minhang Sports Park
Lavender is prized as the "queen of fragrant flowers." Apart from its beautiful violet color and heavy fragrance, lavender can be used to treat colds, insomnia and stomach aches. It also makes a great sachet to tuck into clothing drawers or under sleeping pillows.
Lavender originally comes from Europe and wasn't widely introduced in China until 1963. Even now in Shanghai, it's rare to spot lavender in downtown area.
Trumpet creeper
Where to find: 298 Shuiqing Road
Usually grown in more inland areas of China, the trumpet creeper is seldom seen in Shanghai. In Minhang, it was first planted by Li Jinqi, a resident in Xinzhuang. Li said he spends an hour taking care of the flowers every day.
The trumpet creeper is bright red and blooms throughout summer and autumn. It's a blaze of color along walls.
Corn poppy
Where to find: Ping'an and Xinmiao roadsides
The corn poppy looks very much like the opium poppy, but it has no opiate properties and is legal to plant anywhere. The flower is popular in gardens and flowerbeds.
Mallow
Where to find: Xinghejingyuan residential area in Xinzhuang
Mallow has special fragrance and is often made into tea. Apart from its fine taste, the color of the tea is also curious because it turns pink if a bit of lemon juice is added.
Mallow can also be used as a herb to treat sore throat and constipation.
Clover
Where to find: Zizhu Binjiang Forest Park
Clover is not rare, but finding one with four leaves is a popular pursuit among luck-seekers around the world.
Only one in 10,000 clovers has four leaves. The three common leaves of a clover represent "hope," "faith" and "love," while the fourth signifies "luck."
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