In life, flowers and plants look very similar. It's difficult for people to clearly distinguish them. Today, I want to talk about a plant that many people often mistake - they confuse torachrysone with wormwood. Be careful not to make this mistake, as it can lead to problems. Therefore, it is important to learn how to differentiate between them!
Torachrysone image
Main Differences Between Torachrysone and Wormwood
1. Appearance
The appearance of torachrysone is very similar to wormwood, but there are differences. The leaves of wormwood have short gray-white hairs on the back, and the leaves are arranged alternately. On the other hand, the upper side of torachrysone leaves is dark green, the back side is light green, and both sides have short rough hairs.
2. Odor
Wormwood has a distinctive strong aroma, while torachrysone has a repulsive grassy odor.
Hazards of Torachrysone
1. Ecological Damage
After invading bare land, torachrysone can become a dominant species within a year.
Due to its strong vitality, it can cover and suppress native plants, leading to the destruction of the original ecosystem, reduced agricultural productivity, and the consumption of water and nutrients in the soil.
It causes significant agricultural losses. The spread of torachrysone has resulted in large areas of land being abandoned, posing a major threat to the ecological environment.
Torachrysone image
2. Pollen Allergy
The direct harm of torachrysone to the human body is the pollen it releases after flowering.
The pollen of this plant contains water-soluble proteins, which can quickly cause allergic reactions in humans. It is the main pathogen of autumn pollen allergy and can lead to the harmful health condition known as "hay fever".
Mild symptoms include coughing and asthma. In severe cases, it can cause emphysema, and once infected, it can recur every year and worsen over time.
Therefore, experts remind us not to touch the three-lobed leaves of torachrysone when they are flowering.
Spread of Torachrysone
Torachrysone image
Torachrysone has a strong reproductive and adaptive ability.
It is known that a well-developed torachrysone plant can produce 70,000 to 100,000 seeds. These seeds can be carried by the wind for over 100 kilometers and spread through people's shoes, water flow, and vehicles. Biologists have even found over 100 torachrysone seeds in bird feces caught in the wild.
What's even more surprising is that these torachrysone seeds can remain viable for 30 to 40 years after falling to the ground. Whether it is in the wilderness, urban areas, or even hardened soil, torachrysone can grow.
The flowering period of torachrysone is from June to July, which is also the time of its rampage.
Its male inflorescence can produce a large amount of pathogenic pollen. When the plants sway, you can see the pollen falling like yellow mist. Studies have shown that torachrysone can produce over ten tons of pollen per square kilometer, and the United States produces over a million tons of torachrysone pollen every year.
