Strawberry tree in the Crimea. Strawberry small-fruited - “love tree.
In the Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg about 15 thousand species of plants. They all have their own amazing properties. It is very difficult to select some of the most interesting and unusual from them ..
Citron medica
Citron fruit is like a human hand. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
Unlike other citrus plants, citron fruit is not round and not spherical, but in the form of a human hand. Such a type of cyton is also called the “fingers of the Buddha.” “So far the fruit is small,” Maria explains, “but when it is ripe, it will not only look like a human hand, but will be the size of it.” Citron fruits are not consumed, and the peel is used in medicine and cosmetology - for the manufacture of essential oils.
Cork oak (Quercus suber)
Corks are made from the bark of this oak tree. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
The tree does not have solid wood, unlike other oaks. The bark of this oak is very uneven and uneven. Bark accidents are used to make traffic jams. “The thicker the build-up layer, the more expensive the cork is,” says Maria. “Every ten years on an industrial scale, this plug is cut off, in principle, without causing any harm to the plant: the plug grows again.”
Usilliform tillandsia (Tillandsia usneoides)
This plant reminded the Indians of a thick beard. Photo: AIF / Yana Khvatova
Another name for the plant is Spanish Moss. Spanish was called the Indians in the United States. The moss reminded the Indians of the thick beards of the Spanish conquistadors who came to America in the 16th century. The length of the moss can reach three meters, although a living plant is only 15-20 cm from this length. The fact is that the stems that die off, cling to the young shoots and form a "beard". “This plant has roots inside the leaves,” says Lutsenko. “They are not outside.” Scales of plants capture nutrients from moisture. "
Insectivorous plants
Insects stick to the leaves of Zhyryanka. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
If they do not get the nutrients from the soil, then they are not averse to getting organic matter from insects that fall into their trap. The Botanical Garden presents several species of such plants. One of them - Zhyryanka (Pinguicula). “She has a sticky substance on the leaves of the glands,” Maria explains, “and insects stick. The white spots on the leaves are the whitefly, the pest of our garden. ”
Sundew can be found in the forests of the Leningrad region. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
Among insectivorous plants there is one that any inhabitant of our city can meet in the forests of the Leningrad Region - this is a sundew (Drocera). Adhesive on the leaves of the plant paralyzes insects. After that, the sheet closes, grabbing the victim completely. Rosyanka is listed in the Red Book - it is not enough. “If you bring her home, instead of a fumigator, it will not work for you,” smiles Maria Lutsenko.
Callistemon is like a bottle brush. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
Callistemon or Callistemon. This is an evergreen tree. Its name is translated from Greek as “beautiful stamens”. “Look, the flowers of this tree look like a bottle brush,” says Maria, “this is very beautiful and unusual.” However, different nations see this flower in their own way. The Germans believe that it looks like a fireplace brush, the British see it as a lamp glass brush holder, and smokers are convinced that the flower looks like a brush for cleaning pipes.
Strawberry tree (Arbutus)
The trunk of a strawberry tree feels like a man’s skin. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
People call this tree shameless, or spa woman. “Touch the trunk of a strawberry tree,” Maria suggests. - It feels very similar to human skin. The bark of the tree periodically moves away from the trunk. As soon as the bark exfoliates, all the shoots and the trunk itself become greenish in color. Over time, it darkens like a young lady who has visited the solarium a lot. ”
Mimosa shy (Mimosa pudica)
Mimosa bashful "hides" at the slightest touch. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
“This is a real mimosa,” says Maria. “And what a man gives us on March 8 is a silver acacia.” Mimosa shy - a small plant up to 60 cm in height. It got its name from the amazing features of the leaves. The leaves of mimosa are very sensitive, and at the slightest touch, they shrink - “hide, ashamed.”
However, this plant is not as bashful as it seems at first. It is very poisonous and can cause cattle poisoning on pastures.
Pandanus (Pandanus)
Pandanus will survive a severe hurricane. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
“The plant has stilted roots so that it can support itself,” says Maria. Such roots are also called adventitious - they grow right from the center of the trunk and help the plant survive in the most severe hurricanes. Flowers and leaves of the plant are widely used in folk medicine, and also play a large role in the magical rites of the tribes of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Lotus (Nelumbo)
Modern pans are made like a lotus. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
“We will try to wet a lotus leaf,” says Maria. - Nothing happens. Moisture immediately rolls off the sheet. Teflon frying pans are made in the image and likeness of a lotus ”. The seeds of the lotus grow even after 200-250 thousand years.
Passion Flower (Passiflora)
Passion flower served as a prototype of the order. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatov
The flower has a different color depending on the subspecies. Some of the flower species have learned to form outgrowths that look like eggs of butterflies, to scare them away. The main feature of passionflower is. That he made a great contribution to the story. "This flower served as a prototype for the creation of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, - emphasizes Maria Lutsenko, - one of the most beautiful orders."
This is only a small fraction of the amazing plants of the Botanical Garden. The collection of the park and greenhouses is constantly updated.
TYPE FLORA or the vegetable world.
Sorting pictures from the Abkhaz vacation, my daddy was formed - “The World of Vegetable”. This is about their flora.
Well sho flora? I grew up with her and outlandish, at that time, did not find anything. He stretched out his hand out of the window and ... ate, for example: persimmon, peach, pomegranate or grapes, it happened and chose the variety - kachich or isabella, a walnut tree also grew in the yard. But here, having already lived enough in the middle lane, i.e. in comparison, the subtropics to me, began to seem ... very "completely". Yes, yes, the most northern subtropics in the world, sometimes showing examples of amazing natural fantasy and diversity.
Well, as a preamble, it should be said that all the wealth of the plant world is imported here. At the beginning of the twentieth century, by the efforts of Russian scientists, merchants and patrons of art, especially Smetsky, strange samples of tropical and subtropical cultures were brought to Abkhazia. Eucalyptus from Australia, cypress nuts from Greece, aleander from azure, araucaria from South America, and from there came tobacco, cacti, creepers, tomatoes and corn (by the way mamaliga, made from corn flour, at Abkhz became the main food) and beans. Tea, persimmon and feijoa from China, from Vietnam is a candy tree, and a lot of palm trees and everything came from Africa. In short, very good and fun turned out. And, almost everything, surprisingly, stuck. Here, for example, the “work” of the lianas, which at once (in my opinion, estimates for “this” it took her thirty years), “bit” the concrete colonnade, destroyed by a war café, with the ironic-historical name “Friendship”. And judge the rest of the miracles yourself.
Here is the trunk of the Australian eucalyptus. Sometimes it is called shameless tree. He periodically changes the bark, dropping old robes and, as it were, naked all the time. But seriously this tree is a savior. Previously, the entire coast of Abkhazia was swampy, and then the malaria mosquito raged, the rest in Abkhazia was not so pleasant because of them. Eucalyptus acted as a "pump." Adults consume up to 500 liters of water per day. The swamps dried up and started ... paradise.
In childhood, on their high eucalyptus trunks, the punks are satisfied with "nests".
But fig tree or figs. His seed, even falling into the crack of the house, or garbage, begins to germinate. After fifteen years - a new tree.
This is how it looks from the outside. By the way, the leaves of this tree were used by the artists of the Renaissance, "covering" nature in their paintings, as a rule of biblical content.
Herbal luxury.
Or here ... a front view of the philharmonic.
Planes in the park.
Here so climbers "crawl" to the fifth floor. And even higher ...
Or this is how it enters the wild.
On the fortress wall ... Tenth century.
So they live by sucking the juices of the one who cannot "give an arccase."
Anomaly.
Or ... this is at the Stalin dacha at Lake Ritsa.
That's how the roots raise asphalt.
The road goes along the plane avenue.
That's how the plants "intersect" with stones.
So grows Pomegranate.
But I look at the blank for a pipe. She endured the sea.
In general, there are many picturesque snags on the beach.
Alpine grass.
Flowers among the mountains.
And this plant, I do not know the name.
Pitsunda tall pine.
Fern.
Bamboo alley.
There are also in thicker.
Still life.
In abandoned orchards, trees are "wild". This is in Tsebelda. The sight is wild.
Finita la comedy.
Yellow ...
The strawberry tree, or Arbutus (lat. Arbútus) is an evergreen, a genus of shrubs or of trees families Heather (Ericaceae). In nature, there are about 20 species of strawberries in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, western Europe and America. Strawberry tree, got its name because of the original shape of the fruit, which are pink-red balls, shaped like strawberries.
In the home room culture of growing common strawberry is large-fruited - a small tree, up to a meter in height.
The strawberry tree growing in nature can reach a height of 5 meters and live for more than 50 years. The bark of the trees is smooth, red or brown, the leaves are leathery and large.
The strawberry tree is decorative and attractive, it is decorated with flowers and fruits at the same time.
Flowers of the Strawberry tree are rather small, resemble inflorescences of lily of the valley, and are collected in panicles. The strawberry tree blossoms in the autumn, and in the winter it is at rest, but does not shed its leaves.
Strawberry is a beautiful melliferous plant, the scent of flowers attracts many insects, but the honey from its flowers is slightly bitter. The flowers of the plant are white, the fruits are orange, and when ripe they turn bright red. The fruits of the strawberry tree are edible, they are very tasty and juicy, consumed raw and used in cooking.
The strawberry tree grows on a bright and warm place, in the choice of soil is not whimsical. It needs regular watering and feeding with complex fertilizers, especially during the period of active growth and ripening of fruits.
Propagated strawberry tree mainly seeds. Seeds can be sown throughout the year. Sowing is superficial, the seeds are lightly powdered with soil or sand, covered with foil and kept in a warm place until germination, which should be sprayed. Strawberry tree grows slowly blooms about a year after sowing.
Wild plant species is small strawberry. Leaves are leathery and smooth, a bit like pear leaves. The barrel is smooth, as polished, bluish-red. Fruits are clusters, bright red, edible.
Small strawberry blossoms in winter his crown is covered with white and elegant flowers almost until the end of March.
In the spring, during the period of fruit ripening, strawberry strips, dropping bark from the trunk and large branches. For this interesting and rare property the tree was popularly called shameless, or "whisper"as in the hot days you can hear the rustling, "whisper" of the dumped strawberry bark.
Unlike large-fruited strawberry, small-fruited can grow on poor and drier soils.
Strawberry tree has found application in medicine. The flowers of the tree have a honey, soft aroma.
English tale of the strawberry tree.
Once a strawberry tree fell in love with a little bird that was nestled in foliage. The bird was very sick, and the strawberry tree, having healing properties and a kind heart, cured it. The bird recovered and flew away, and the tree became sad, having collected all its strength, pulling its roots out of the ground, went to the mountains in search of its beloved bird.
For many years, the strawberry tree climbed to the top of the mountain, the sun was scorching, and the bark was peeling and falling off the trunk, but it could not reach the top of the mountain. Tired tree to climb the stony rocks and said: “Set love” - “love died”, or as the saying goes: “ you can’t be cute by force "...
The strawberry tree is remarkable in that it is the only evergreen deciduous tree in the natural flora of the Crimean subtropics. Its leaves are dense, leathery, shiny, fairly regular oval. They tolerate small frosts in winter.
Walking around Alupka Park is a pleasure! The world of amazingly beautiful rare trees, near which you certainly feel like a little girl ... And it’s not at all the difference in height. Just standing under their crowns very keenly feel that you have one life - your own, and the Strawberry tree has a whole interweaving of lives! The aura of the reddish crown of these trees is such that you feel it all over your skin!
The recipe for making heather honey from heather (Latin Callúna vulgáris), giving people strength and youth.
Heather honey
(Robert Lewis Stevenson. Translated by Samuel Marshak)
From heather drink
Forgotten a long time ago.
And he was sweeter than honey
Drunker than wine.
In boilers it was cooked
And drank the whole family
Baby Medovars
In the caves under the ground.
The Scottish king came,
Ruthless to enemies
He drove the poor Picts
To the rocky shores.
On the heather field
On the battlefield
Lay alive on the dead
And the dead - in the living.
Summer in the country has come,
Heather blooms again,
But there is no one to cook
Heather honey
In their graves close,
In the mountains of the native land
Baby Medovars
Shelter found themselves.
King rides on the slope
Above the sea on horseback
And seagulls hover nearby
With the road on a par.
The king glances glumly:
« Again in the edge of my
Honey heather blooms,
And we do not drink honey! ”
But his vassals
Noticed two
Last medovarov,
Survivors.
They went out from under the stone,
Squinting a white light, -
Old Humpback Dwarf
And a boy of fifteen.
By the sea steep
They were brought in for questioning,
But none of the prisoners
Words are not spoken.
Sat the Scottish king,
Without moving, in the saddle.
And little people
Stood on the ground.
Angrily, the king said:
- The torture of both waits,
If you do not say devils,
How did you prepare the honey!
The son and father were silent
Standing at the edge of the cliff.
Heather rang over them,
In the sea - rolling trees.
And suddenly a voice came out:
— Listen, Scottish king,
Talk to you
Let eye to eye!
Old age is afraid of death.
I will buy a life of betrayal,
I will give the treasured secret! —
The dwarf told the king.
His voice is sparse
It sounded sharp and clear:
— I would give the secret a long time ago
If the son did not interfere!
Boy life is not sorry
Death to him nothing.
I sell my conscience
It will be shameful at him.
Let him tightly tie
And cast into the abyss of water,
And I will teach the Scots
Cooking old honey!
Strong scottish warrior
The boy is tightly tied
And threw into the open sea
From the coastal cliffs.
The waves closed over him.
Measure the last cry ...
And echoed him answered
From the cliff of the old father.
—I told the truth, the Scots,
From my son I was waiting for trouble.
I did not believe in the stamina of the young,
No shaving beards.
And I am not afraid of a fire.
Let me die
My holy secret is
My heather honey!
Friday, July 25, 2014 09:47 + to quote pad
English tale of the strawberry tree
In it, the strawberry tree fell in love with a bird. The bird was dying, hid in a tree. The tree, having healing properties and a kind heart, cured the bird. She flew away, and the tree, gathering all its strength, strained all its muscles, branches, pulled its roots out of the ground and went to look for their favorite bird.
For many years it climbed to the top of the mountain, the sun was scorching it, the bark was peeling off, but it did not catch up with the bird. The tree was tired and said: “Set love”, which can be freely translated as “there is no future for unrequited love”, or even freer - “you cannot be forced by love”.
Shameless (strawberry tree) on Ayu - Dag. JuliaUa photo
I am sure that it is very difficult to find someone who is not familiar with strawberries. Everyone saw it and many even collected it, but not everyone heard about the strawberry tree.
These evergreen trees are a family of heathers and are very unusual plants that can boast of their orange-red color of the trunk, which replaces the bark every year. It is for this property that such an exotic miracle is also called shameless.
Small-fruited strawberry, or red (Arbutus andrachne) can be found in the Crimea, where it is known as the “spa woman” and “shameless woman” - because the tree is able to “shed its skin”.
I called this tree "red-skinned beauty" until I recognized the name. For the first time I met him on the old Sevastopol road, on the way to the Devil’s Ladder. Unfortunately, I could not take pictures then (the camera was discharged). 
Finally, on July 24, 2014, I met this wonderful tree in a park in Livadia 
His beautiful coral-red trunk immediately catches the eye. The bark of the tree is completely smooth, without any cracks, like the reddish skin of a well-tanned person. The outer layer of the bark is thin as paper, discharged annually. After that, the trunk becomes light greenish. Over time, he again acquires a red color. 
The strawberry tree is remarkable in that it is the only evergreen deciduous tree in the natural flora of the Crimean subtropics. Its leaves are dense, leathery, shiny, fairly regular oval. They tolerate small frosts in winter. 
The fruits of the strawberry tree are small, spherical, orange, with a finely lumpy surface, somewhat resemble in appearance the fruits of strawberries (as a result of this, the plant got its name). However, their internal structure is different, since a strawberry tree is absolutely not akin to strawberries. These fruits are juicy, sweetish. They attract birds that feed on them and spread the seeds of the plant.
Fruits of small strawberry are edible, but not particularly tasty, they are suitable for culinary processing.
Arbutus. Photo: Hawa Thor / The Epoch Times
There are about 20 species of strawberry tree. Its botanical name is Arbutus. In the Crimea and Asia Minor, the tree was nicknamed after the color of the bark “Kyzyl-agach”, that is, “mahogany”. It lives for several hundred years, does not shine in height, landed. But ... utility, applicability, attractive beauty significantly stands out among the variety of the tree kingdom. 
Legends of the strawberry tree
The Hebrew tree name is Ktalav. The name comes from several ancient Arab legends, very sad
What could be sadder treason? Legends is about that. The son leaves far from home, his father recovers thanks to the efforts of the daughter-in-law, who then becomes pregnant from him. The son returns, finds out about the betrayal and kills his father in despair. He buries him, there grows over time mahogany, which once a year drops the bark, as if bleeding. Ktalav consists of two words with the roots "catal" and "av", "catal" - to kill, "av" - father. 
Small-fruited strawberry (Shameless, Red strawberry, Strawberry tree, Spa resort) in Alupka Park around Vorontsov Palace
But photos of the strawberry tree from the site 
Interestingly, the English Сut love and the Hebrew "Ktalav" are pronounced almost the same. And in America, the strawberry tree is called "whisper"
It, when dumping the "dress", makes a rustling well audible sound. In addition, the strawberry tree is a relict plant. The philosopher Teofast, who lived in the 300s BC, mentions him in his writings.
The strawberry tree is an evergreen, lives in the Mediterranean, Mexico, on the coast of the Caucasus and the Crimea, in North America.
And one more interesting coincidence: Arbutus is translated from the language of flowers “I love only you”. 
Personal look at the exotic strawberry tree and its interesting cultivation and special care
By the way, I first met him in the Crimea when I was resting there. This is a miracle then I liked it so much that I decided to start breeding it at home.
Interested in this treasure, I learned a lot about it. Here, for example, that it fructifies in September, and its fruits can stupefy and cause a severe headache if you eat them in large quantities. But, honestly, I did not experiment. By the way, only in ancient Latin language it is called arbutus. There are several types of this plant: Mencis (its fruits are similar to strawberries, therefore they also call it strawberry menzisa); large-fruited.
I decided to start cultivating such a handsome woman myself. But in order for me to manage the care itself, I urgently needed advice on how to keep an eye on him. I turned to the special literature, where I learned about all its features, as well as about how to grow a handsome man. But it took me a huge amount of time. Therefore, I decided to save it for you. I will leave you instructions, thanks to which you will be able to look after this favorite correctly.
First of all, I will say that it is possible to plant strawberries at home if you create the necessary microclimate in the winter period of time
To do this, choose a well-lit room, which is regularly aired. In summer, it grows with me at temperatures of eighteen to twenty two degrees. At this time of year, I often take this miracle to a balcony so that it can be in the fresh air, as it is very useful. Well, in the winter it lives with me at temperatures from three to eight degrees. Pruning is done to remove damaged, ugly or too thick branches.
When grooming a baby, you may have problems.
First of all, diseases that occur due to improper care of the bushes. For example, if pereuvlazhnite land, then the beloved can hit mushrooms from the genus Septoria. When such a disease occurs, the leaves are affected by chestnut spots. In case of minor damage, I remove the greens with stains, but if something more serious, then I resort to treatment with fungicides.
Agrobacterium bacterium, which lives on the roots, can also settle in the overmoistened soil. If this happens, then remove the affected trees, so as not to infect the rest. And also, if the soil is too acidic, then the beauty can get chlorosis, as she will not have enough iron. In this case, I process the baby with a special preparation containing iron. Pests also have a pet and the most dangerous is a spider mite. Well, this is all about how to care for this exotic guest.
How to plant a pet
I read that he can live on any garden soil. But I use subacid that contains organic fertilizers. Lime land is also suitable for a pet. I place it in a permanent place in the month of October or in the spring. I change the place of permanent residence by choosing in March or April in the case when the roots of the pet outgrow the volume of the pot.
Special watering
Watering is very necessary for young trees. As for adult plants, they are drought-resistant. However, I produce it all year round for shrubs of any age. For this I try to use soft water. Spraying I do not, because this procedure is certainly not needed by my child.
To make a tree beautiful, you need fertilizing
For shrubs, top dressing means a lot. I feed my bushes as special fertilizers for heather and universal means. At the end of winter, I add manure to the soil. As for adults, I feed them once every three to four months with granular fertilizers. And in the spring I add potash and nitrogen supplements to the soil. Thanks to this, my pets become more lush and cheerful.
All breeding secrets are open.
Reproduction occurs in two ways, for the first I use seeds. I sow them in peat mixed with sand and keep them in a room without heating. When the seedlings grow, I place them in the soil of the same composition, but one by one. Then they live in my closed room for a year or two. If necessary (when the root system needs space) I transfer it to a larger container using the transshipment method.
In the second method, I resort to cuttings, for which I use semi-lignified cuttings, which are ten centimeters in length. I cut them in the month of July. I place them in the same mixture and keep it at a temperature of sixteen to eighteen degrees. Further, when they have roots, I plant one by one. Then take care as the seedlings.
On the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula in the most inaccessible places and rocky tracts preserved remains of forests of an amazing plant with a very tasty name - a strawberry tree, or, to be precise, strawberry small-fruited.
But, unfortunately, this unique relict plant of the preglacial period, belonging to the heather family, is an endangered species in the Crimea, which, by the way, is the northernmost boundary of its habitat. Now in the wild there are only single trees or small sparse thickets. The largest habitat of strawberry is located on the protected Cape Martian.
Strawberry is a very beautiful evergreen deciduous tree-honey plant with oddly curved branches. It has leathery leaves, and blooms with flowers resembling lily of the valley flowers.
The wrinkled red fruits of small-fruited strawberry are a bit like strawberries. Hence the name of the tree. Another name - shameless - the tree has received for the fact that aging its bark by the middle of summer reddens cracks and exfoliates, exposing the young pistachio-green bark. And this is repeated from year to year.
The strawberry fruits ripen in autumn and have a rather pleasant taste. But the nutritional value in their natural form, they are only for birds.
