Water caltrop seeds

Water caltrop  / Trapa natans - it is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling nut, mustache nut, singhara nut or water chestnut. Not to be confused with Chinese water chestnut. Water chestnut (Chilim) - is an annual aquatic plant, a species of the genus Rogulnik of the Lorenzo family. It grows in lakes, creeks and oxbow lakes of slow-flowing rivers, growing up to 5 m in length. The plant has a characteristic fruit that looks like a bull's head, with one large, starchy seed. For the sake of this seed, the plant has been cultivated in China for at least three thousand years. Chilim seed is boiled and eaten as a light snack.

The stem of chilim is under water, develops from the fruit in the spring and reaches the surface of the water. It is 3.6–5 m in length. The roots are greenish, pinnately branched, located on a stem immersed in water and have the appearance of underwater leaves.

The plant has two types of leaves: the first type - underwater - opposite, linear, located along the stem above the roots, located in the water column; the second is floating on the surface. Floating leaves are located at the end of the stem, forming a rosette. The leaf blades are oval or rhombic in shape, leathery, unequally toothed along the edges, 2-3 cm long, located on petioles 5-9 cm long, swollen by the time the fruits ripen, providing them with additional buoyancy.

The flowers are white, located in the axils of the leaves, and are pollinated by insects. The flower has four sepals, petals and stamens. One pestle. Blooms in May - June.

The fruit is a black-brown nut, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, with two to four sharp horns. The fruits ripen in August - September. The seed can remain viable for 12 years, although it most often germinates in the first two years. The plant reproduces by fruits that are separated from the stem and carried by the current to other places.

Prefers silty soils of slowly flowing or stagnant bodies of water. Often forms continuous thickets.

Chilim fruits can be used for food. They are eaten raw, boiled in salt water and baked in ash. Flour and cereals were obtained from ground fruits.

Chilim is propagated by seeds. In spring, nuts are thrown into water, but it is best to sow them in small pots filled with silt and place them at a depth of 10–15 cm - in the area where the water warms up best. Seeds germinate at water temperatures of about 25–30°C. This same temperature is most favorable for their development.

When floating leaves appear, it is time to move the grown specimens to a greater depth - about a meter. Due to the fact that water chestnuts do not have roots, they can be fearlessly moved from place to place simply by tying them to an «anchor» pebble.