Nigella damask is a plant of the Ranunculaceae family. The people called the flower nigella for its decorative appearance and coal-colored seeds. It is a distant relative of the buttercup flower. This plant is native to Southern Europe and North Africa. There are about twenty types of nigella, the most famous are Damascus and Spanish. In some countries, the plant is grown only for the purpose of obtaining valuable raw materials - seeds.
Key Features
Black cumin or nigella flowers (photo can be seen below) are excellent honey plants with a strongly branched stem of a lilac hue and small openwork leaves of bright green color, similar to dill.
Distinguish blue, white, red and blue flowers, which are formed from five identical sepals. There are also terry, their inflorescence consists of several layers of sepals. The plant reaches a height of 60-90 cm, and also grows in breadth, thanks to which you can create beautiful forms of shrubs by pruning. The plant blooms for about two months. Nigella fruits resemble a swollen or flattened box, which contains a huge amount of black seeds with a pleasantaroma and spicy taste.
Varieties
Several types of nigella are known, which have their own characteristics:
- Sowing. This variety is used to produce seeds with a spicy aroma for use in cooking, perfumery and medicine. The flowers of this species are medium-sized, the petals are white, yellow or pink. The leaves are very thin and resemble a lace fabric. The stem is long, without side shoots.
- Nigella Spanish flower. This species is found naturally in North Africa and southern Spain. The plant freely withstands cold, but prefers light and heat. The flowers are medium-sized, no more than 6 cm in diameter. Fully opened petals are bent down. Their color scheme is diverse, there are white, pink and crimson colors. On a tall stem are dissected leaves of a dark green hue.
- Eastern. Distributed in Asia. The flowers are ugly, there are practically no petals on them, and a small number of those available are strongly bent down. Many long stamens are directed upwards. On a straight stem with lateral branched shoots, long, truncated leaves.
Nigella damask is commonly grown in gardens and flower beds. Its most popular varieties are as follows:
- Baby blue is a nondescript plant with small faded flowers. The stems are low, curved, reaching a height of no more than 20 cm.
- Nigella flowers Dwarf Moody Blue is a dwarf variety of Damascus nigella. The leaves are small, truncated and, as it were, form a cloud, so another name is bluefog. Stem height about 25 cm. Small blue or light blue flowers.
- Persian Jewels - variety mix of Nigella Damascus. Large flowers of white, red and pink color. Long green stamens are located in the very middle of the flower. The leaves are very thin, there are many of them and form a lacy air cloud on a low stem.
- Miss Jekyll Rose. The flowers are very large and endowed with all shades of purple and red colors. Box with red seeds. Stem straight no more than 50 cm.
- Cambridge blue is a beautiful plant with large bluish-blue flowers. On a high, about a meter in height, stalk are thin green lacy leaves. This species is most often used in landscape design.
- Albina. This variety will be described in more detail later in the article.
Nigella Damascus flower (Albina): description
This variety is an annual herbaceous plant with a thin, smooth stem that does not have additional shoots, no more than 50 cm long. Very thin leaves of a rich green hue resemble a needle of a coniferous tree. Large flowers are mostly double, but there are also simple ones with multi-colored sepals: pink, white, blue, blue, which are pronounced. Large stamens. After flowering, they form a box with black long seeds. Flowering time - July-August.
Nigella flower: planting and care
Nigerushka is easy to grow. There are a number of rules, adhering to which, it is possible to easily obtain luxurious shrubs. For planting plants choosesunny area. A place where shade prevails for most of the day is not suitable for the plant, the abundance of flowering will decrease. Alkaline soil is best, in rare cases with a neutral composition. You should choose fertile land with drainage capacity, and which will pass air well.
Nigella Damascus flowers can be planted in the ground with seeds or seedlings. Seedlings are grown in peat cups or special tablets, otherwise it will be difficult to adapt the nigella after planting in a permanent place. Seeds are sown in mid-spring or before winter, and seedlings are recommended to be transplanted in early May. Before planting nigella in open ground, lime or dolomite flour is added to it. After planting, it begins to bloom in 25 days.
Irrigation
Nigella flowers (Albina variety and other varieties) have become quite popular because of the simplicity and speed of caring for the plant. The main rule to follow is balance in everything.
For example, excess moisture and nutrients adversely affect the well-being of the plant. Abundant watering can cause the development of diseases. Water the plant should be regularly, moderately, avoid drought. At the same time, due to the lack of fertilizers and moisture, the plant blooms poorly and loses its attractiveness, and over time it can dry out.
Feeding
Nigella flower (Albina, photo of which can be seen in the article, and other varieties) needsregular weeding and loosening of the soil, which is done very carefully, since these plants practically do not tolerate damage to the root system.
In addition, nigella does not tolerate mulching. Top dressing is recommended to be applied only once, at the beginning of flowering. Suitable complex mineral fertilizers. The flower does not tolerate fresh organic and nitrogen fertilizers well.
Reproduction
To obtain seeds for the purpose of breeding nigella, do not wait for the full maturation of the boxes. They begin to cut the stems when about 1/3 of the flowers remain on the plant.
The cut parts of the plant are dried in a well-ventilated and dry area. Dried seeds have good germination for up to two years. Growing methods are as follows:
- Seeds are planted in open ground in spring and late autumn. Seeds easily tolerate winter conditions. In early spring, emerging seedlings should be covered with plastic wrap to protect them from spring frosts. In April, the planting of seeds begins. In good sunny weather, seedlings appear quite quickly.
- To obtain seedlings, seed material is planted in the first days of spring (late March or early April). Seeds are sown at a shallow depth, no more than 3 cm, and lightly sprinkled with earth. Seedlings appear after three weeks. Plants do not tolerate picking, so it is advisable to transplant them into ready-made soil cups, so that later they can be transplanted with them to a permanent place in the garden. The distance between plants should beat least 25 cm, and between rows about 40 cm.
The plant prefers soils with an alkaline pH. Nigel flowers at the roots should not be disturbed, as this will negatively affect growth and flowering.
Diseases and pests
Due to the presence of a spicy aroma, the plant is practically not visited by all kinds of pests. Very rarely, a flower is attacked by single spider mites. They can be easily de alt with with insecticidal preparations that should be sprayed on the plant.
The most common disease is powdery mildew, which affects the flower during rainy times. For treatment and prevention, a solution of a fungicidal agent is used.
Landscape use
Nigella is very actively planted in flower beds along with poppies, cornflowers, verbena, as it does not create difficulties in planting and care. Nigella flowers (photo below) can be used when creating a Moorish lawn in order to fill the free space between perennials in flower beds.
In single plantings, flowers of different colors will look great, for example, ranging from pale blue to bright blue. And also looks good nigella with daisies. In addition, this plant is used to decorate country-style plots. Nigella should not be planted next to ground cover plants.
Uses
Nigella flowers are not only decoration of borders, flower beds, but also single plantings. Nigella has a variety of uses:
- Forformation of bouquets. Flowers stay fresh for a long time.
- To create dry compositions and winter bouquets.
- The seeds of the plant repel insects, so they are used to protect clothing from moths.
- Young nigella leaves are added to light snacks such as salads.
- The seeds are dried and widely used in cooking. In another way, they are also called zira. Due to their spicy taste, they are used in canning vegetables, added to pastries, used in the preparation of first and second courses. To improve the taste, zira should be lightly crushed and fried in oil, and then added to any dish. Store the seeds in a dry dark place in a tightly closed container.
Use of nigella in medicine
The healing properties of the oil made from the seeds of the plant are used to treat skin diseases, as an adjuvant prescribed in the treatment of cancer and diabetes. The oil is a natural biostimulant, and the absence of side effects increases its value. A decoction of seeds has been widely used for women's pain during menstruation, as well as in the treatment of gynecological pathologies. In addition, the seeds contribute to the production of milk, so the decoction is recommended for nursing mothers. As a symptomatic remedy, the decoction is useful for kidney stones, bronchial asthma and poor sleep. A tincture of the seeds is excellent for bronchial spasms and improves respiratory activity. Nigella in the form of an elixir is used as a choleretic and stomach remedy.
In Muslimcountries, this plant is considered a panacea for all ailments and is called a universal medicine. Muslims use this flower to treat any disease.
Damask nigella flower, photo, which can be seen in the article, is an unpretentious plant with good flowering. Its seeds can be used in cooking, as well as for the treatment of many diseases. By following the simple rules of care and maintenance of the black nigella, you will ensure that it will delight you for many years.
