In addition to being ornamental, the flowers of plants can also be eaten. There are many kinds of edible flowers in China. For example, cauliflower is a perennial herb. Its flower buds are not only delicious, tender, nutritious and rich in carotene, but also have the effects of hemostasis, anti-inflammatory, clearing heat, diuresis, digestion, brightening eyes and calming nerves. It has curative effects on hematemesis, bloody stool, obstructed urination and insomnia.
Colchicine is a non-toxic substance in fresh colchicine, but it is absorbed in the stomach. Therefore, before eating fresh cauliflower, you need to blanch it with boiling water, soak it in clean water for more than 2 hours, and destroy colchicine before eating. When eating dried cauliflower, it should also be soaked in clean water or warm water for many times before eating.
Cauliflower is also one of people's favorite vegetables. The edible flower ball is a white smooth hemispherical structure, with short branches inside and a large number of proliferating meristems on the surface. Most of these meristems are early inflorescence meristems. The surface of the flower ball of green cauliflower is composed of a large number of proliferative and differentiated flower buds that can not open temporarily. Studies have shown that the occurrence of flower ball is related to the mutations of bobcal (bobcauliflower) and bobap1 (bobapetala1) genes.
Chrysanthemum is rich in vitamins, inulin, amino acids, adenopurine and other components. It has the functions of removing exogenous wind cold, detoxifying, clearing heat and refreshing the brain and eyes. It can be used to treat diseases such as hypertension, migraine and acute conjunctivitis. The washed chrysanthemum petals are mixed with honey to bake cakes. The taste is elegant and sweet. The commercially available "chrysanthemum crystal" is a drink processed from Hangzhou chrysanthemum.
In addition, the flowers of plum blossom, Magnolia, Sophora japonica, wisteria, hibiscus and other plants can also be eaten.