Sheep Horns (Hedysarum laeve Maxim in Bull. Act. Acad. Sci peteish or Hedysarum mongdicum Turcz Var.), also known as "Yangchai" or "Yanchai, " belongs to the genus Hedysarum and is a perennial subshrub. It can grow up to 1-2 meters in height. The young stems are green, while the old stems are grayish-white with longitudinally fissured bark. The plant has multiple branches. The leaves are alternate, broadly linear, lanceolate, or elliptical, with very short leaflets. The inflorescence is a raceme, axillary, with purple-red flowers. The fruit is a flattened round pod with 1-3 segments, each containing a single seed.

Sheep Horns is characterized by its resistance to wind and sand, high temperature, drought, and poor soil conditions. It thrives in extremely dry and infertile semi-fixed and fixed sandy areas. It prefers moderate sand compression and can tolerate some wind erosion, often growing more vigorously under pressure. It has a well-developed root system with strong nitrogen-fixing ability. It possesses underground stems and exhibits strong vegetative propagation capability.

Sheep Horns is suitable for cultivation in sandy areas in the northern part of Shaanxi Province and the eastern part of Ningxia, as well as the Mu Us Sandy Land, the eastern part of the Kubuqi Desert, the Ulan Buh Desert, and the Hunshandake Sandy Land in Inner Mongolia. It is an ideal plant for windbreak, sand fixation, and soil erosion control. Moreover, its dry hay is palatable and serves as excellent fodder.

Morphological characteristics:

The plant grows up to 1-2 meters in height. The young stems are green, while the old stems are grayish-white with longitudinally fissured bark. It has multiple branches. The leaves are alternate, broadly linear, lanceolate, or elliptical, with very short leaflets. The inflorescence is a raceme, axillary, with purple-red flowers. The fruit is a flattened round pod with 1-3 segments, each containing a single seed.

The mature stems of Sheep Horns are hard and gray-brown, which can be used as high-quality raw material for particleboard, as well as firewood for charcoal production. The green branches and leaves of the plant, which refer to the leaves and branches that grow in the current year, are high-quality fodder that is particularly favored by various herbivorous livestock. The flowers of Sheep Horns form racemes, with clusters of bright purple-red corollas, making them highly ornamental. The stigma of the flowers contains nectaries with yellow-white color and a pure fragrance, attracting bees and insects. It has an extended flowering period from late June to mid-September, making it an ideal nectar source for beekeeping. The fruit of Sheep Horns is a pod, and the seeds are oval-shaped, yellow-brown, with a weight of 8.5-15 grams per thousand seeds. The seeds contain 7%-8% fat and 26%-28% protein. They can be used for oil extraction or as high-quality winter feed. The roots of Sheep Horns have a conical taproot that extends 2-3 meters into the ground, with lateral roots mainly distributed within the 15 cm to 70 cm soil layer, accompanied by root nodules. Sheep Horns has strong reproductive ability, lush foliage, and high yield.

Growth habits:

Sheep Horns has strong adaptability, allowing it to grow in extremely dry and infertile semi-fixed and fixed sandy areas. It prefers moderate sand compression and can tolerate some wind erosion. Generally, it thrives when subjected to more pressure.

Geographical distribution:

It is suitable for cultivation in sandy areas in the northern part of Shaanxi Province and the eastern part of Ningxia, as well as the Mu Us Sandy Land, the eastern part of the Kubuqi Desert, the Ulan Buh Desert, and the Hunshandake Sandy Land in Inner Mongolia.

Main value:

Sheep Horns can be used for sand-fixing afforestation, with rapid natural reproduction. It can be propagated naturally through self-seeding or by using rooted branches. Sheep Horns has abundant root nodules, which are beneficial for improving sandy soil and increasing its fertility. It has a well-developed root system with strong nitrogen-fixing ability and underground stems, exhibiting a strong vegetative propagation capacity. It is an ideal plant for windbreak, sand fixation, and soil erosion control. Moreover, its dry hay is palatable, making it excellent fodder. Sheep Horns also possesses characteristics such as resistance to wind and sand, high temperature, drought, and poor soil conditions. As a pioneer plant for windbreak and sand fixation, Sheep Horns plays an important role. It can also be used as an ornamental flower for urban and rural greening purposes.

   

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