Cherry blossom, also known as Pouch Flower, is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Scrophulariaceae. Cherry blossom has a long flowering period, with bright colors and unique shapes. When the flowers are in full bloom, they look like numerous little pouches hanging from the branches, with various colors and patterns. The flowering period is around the Chinese New Year.
[Other Names]
Red toon flower, Zhen toon flower, Hebao flower, Chouxu red, Longchuan flower, Xiangzhan flower, Xiangdai flower, Xiangdou flower, Longchuan flower, Pearl flower, Red Longchuan flower, Pearl wutong, Big leaf red flower inverted water lotus, Mutong lotus, Binliang
[Botanical Characteristics of Cherry Blossom]
The original form is a shrub, 1-4m tall. The small branches are quadrangular, with hairy when young, and the pith is solid and not hollow when dry.
Leaves are opposite; leaf stalks are 1-15cm long, with yellow-brown short hairs; leaf blades are round-heart-shaped or wide-ovate, 8-35cm long and 6-40cm wide, with pointed or gradually pointed tips, heart-shaped base, sparsely short pointed teeth on the edges, scattered hairs on the surface, dense rusty-brown short hairs at the base of the leaf veins, and rust-yellow shield-shaped glands on the back.
The dichotomous cyme inflorescence forms a large rain-like terminal conical inflorescence, 15-34cm long and 13-35cm wide; bracts are wide-ovate, inverted-ovate lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate; bracteoles are linear;
The calyx is red, with shield-shaped glands scattered on the outside, 1-1.5cm long, deeply 5-lobed, lobes ovate or lanceolate, 7-13mm long;
The corolla is red, occasionally white, with a corolla tube 1.7-2.2cm long, 5-lobed at the apex, 1-1.5cm long; stamens 4, about 3 times as long as the corolla tube, extending outward with the pistil; ovary 4-celled, stigma 2 shallowly lobed.
The fruit is nearly spherical, 7-10mm in diameter, and turns blue-purple when ripe. The calyx folds outward, star-shaped. Flowering and fruiting period is from May to November.
[Compound Formulas of Cherry Blossom]
①Treatment for hemorrhoids: Cook cherry blossom flowers or roots with pig intestines and consume.
②Treatment for bleeding hemorrhoids: Cook cherry blossom flowers with swan eggs and pig intestines and consume.
③Treatment for hernia and insomnia: Grind cherry blossom flowers or roots into powder and mix with sweet wine for consumption. (Selected formulas from the "Sichuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Annals")
