Strawberry tree in the Crimea. Small-fruited strawberry - “tree of love.

There are about 15 thousand plant species in the Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg. They all have their own amazing properties. It is very difficult to single out a few of the most interesting and unusual ones from them.

Citron (citrus medica)

The citron fruit looks like a human hand. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

Unlike others citrus plants, in citron, the fruit is not round and not spherical, but in the form of a human hand. This subspecies of citon is also called "Buddha's fingers". “So far, the fruit is small,” Maria explains, “but when it ripens, it will not only look like a human hand, but also the size of it.” Citron fruits are not eaten, and the zest 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. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

The tree does not have solid wood, unlike other oaks. The bark of this oak is very uneven and bumpy. Bark build-ups are used to make corks. “The thicker the build-up layer, the more expensive the cork,” says Maria. “Every ten years, on an industrial scale, this cork is cut off, in principle, without causing any harm to the plant: the cork grows again.”

Tillandsia usneoides

This plant reminded the Indians of a thick beard Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

Another name for the plant is Spanish moss. It was named Spanish by the Indians in the United States. Moss reminded the Indians of the bushy beards of the Spanish conquistadors who came to America in the 16th century. The moss can be up to three meters long, although living plant is only 15-20 cm of this length. The fact is that the stems that die off cling to young shoots and form a "beard". “This plant has roots inside the leaves,” says Lutsenko. - Outside, they are not. Plant scales catch nutrients from moisture ".

Insectivorous plants

Insects stick to the leaves of the fatty plant. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

If they don't get nutrients from the soil, then they don't mind getting organic matter from insects that are trapped by them. There are several types of such plants in the Botanical Garden. One of them is Pinguicula. “She has a sticky substance on the leaves from the glands,” explains Maria, “and the insects stick. White spots on the leaves are a whitefly, a pest in our garden. "

Dewdrop can be found in the forests of the Leningrad region. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

Among carnivorous plants there is one that any inhabitant of our city can meet in the woods Leningrad region is a sundew (Drocera). The sticky substance on the leaves of the plant paralyzes insects. After that, the leaf closes, capturing the victim completely. Dewdrop is listed in the Red Book - there is not much of it left. “If you bring it home, it won't work for you instead of a fumigator,” Maria Lutsenko smiles.

Callistemon is like a bottle brush. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

Callistemon, or Callistemon. it evergreen tree... Its name in translation from Greek means "beautiful stamens". “Look, the flowers of this tree are like a bottle brush,” says Maria, “it's very beautiful and unusual.” However, different nations see this flower differently. The Germans believe that it looks like a brush for cleaning fireplaces, the British see it as a brush for lamp glasses, and smoking people convinced that the flower is like a pipe brush.

Strawberry tree (Arbutus)

Trunk strawberry tree feels like human skin. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

The people call this tree a shameless woman, or a resort girl. “Feel 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 visited a solarium a lot. "

Mimosa bashful (Mimosa pudica)

Shy mimosa "hides" at the slightest touch. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

“This is real mimosa,” says Maria. "And what a man gives us on March 8th is a silver acacia." Bashful mimosa is a small plant up to 60 cm in height. It got its name from the amazing feature of the leaves. Mimosa leaves 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 highly toxic and can poison livestock in pastures.

Pandanus

Pandanus will withstand the strongest hurricane. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

“The plant has stilted roots so that it can support itself,” says Maria. Such roots are also called adventitious roots - they grow directly from the center of the trunk and help the plant to withstand the strongest hurricanes. Flowers and leaves of the plant are widely used in folk medicine, and also play a large role in the witchcraft rites of the tribes of the Eastern Hemisphere.

Lotus (Nelumbo)

Modern frying pans are made in the likeness of a lotus. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

“Let's try to wet the lotus leaf,” says Maria. - Nothing works. Moisture rolls off the sheet immediately. Teflon pans are made in the image and likeness of a lotus. " Lotus seeds germinate even after 200-250 thousand years.

Passionflower (Passiflora)

Passion flower served as the prototype of the order. Photo: AiF / Yana Khvatova

The flower has a different color depending on the subspecies. Some of the flower species have learned to form outgrowths similar to the eggs of butterflies to scare them away. main feature passion flower is. That he made a great contribution to history. "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 just a small fraction of the amazing plants of the Botanical Garden. The collection of the park and greenhouses is constantly growing.

TYPE FLORA or the plant world.

Sorting the pictures from the Abkhaz vacation, my daddy was formed - "The world of plants". This is about their flora.
Well, what flora? I grew up among her and did not find anything outlandish at that time. He stretched out his hand from the window and ... ate, for example: persimmon, peach, pomegranate or grapes, sometimes he chose the variety - kachich or isabella, there was also a nut growing in the yard. But now, having lived enough in middle lane, i.e. in comparison, the subtropics began to seem to me ... very "quite". Yes, the northernmost subtropics in the world show, sometimes examples of amazing natural fantasy and diversity.
Well, as a preamble, it should be said that all wealth flora here is imported. At the beginning of the twentieth century, through the efforts of Russian scientists, merchants and patrons of art, especially Smetsky, outlandish 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 also from there came tobacco, cacti, lianas, tomatoes and corn (by the way, mamalyga, made from corn flour, became the main food among the Abkhz) and beans. Tea, persimmon and feijoa from China, a candy tree from Vietnam, and a bunch of palms and everything - everything came from Africa. In short, och variably and fun turned out. And, almost everything, surprisingly, stuck. Here, for example, is the "work" of a liana, which at once (according to my estimates for "this" it took her thirty years) "had a bite" on the concrete colonnade of a cafe destroyed by the war, with the ironic historical name "Friendship". And judge the rest of the miracles for yourself.

This is what the trunk of an Australian eucalyptus looks like. It is sometimes called the shameless tree. He periodically changes the bark, shedding old clothes and, as it were, naked all the time. But seriously, this tree is a savior. Previously, the entire coast of Abkhazia was swampy and the malaria mosquito was raging here, rest in Abkhazia then was not so pleasant precisely because of them. The eucalyptus acted as a "pump". Adults "consume" up to 500 liters of water per day. The swamps dried up and began ... paradise.

In childhood, on their high trunks of eucalyptus, punks arrange "nests".

And here is a fig tree or figs. Its seed, even falling into the crack of the house, or garbage, begins to germinate. Fifteen years later - a new tree.

This is how it looks from the outside. By the way, the leaves of this tree were used by artists of the Renaissance, "covering" nature in their paintings, usually of biblical content.

Vegetable luxury.

Or here ... the front view of the Philharmonic.

Plane trees in the park.

Like this climbing plants"crawl" to the fifth floor. And even higher ...

Or like this it will go into the wild.

On the fortress wall ... Tenth century.

So they live by sucking the juices of someone who cannot "give a shock".

Anomaly.

Or here ... this is at Stalin's dacha by Lake Ritsa.

This is how the roots lift the asphalt.

The road goes along the plane tree alley.

This is how plants "intersect" with stones.

This is how the Pomegranate grows.

And here I am examining a blank for a smoking pipe. She was carried away by the sea.

In general, there are many picturesque snags on the beach.

Alpine herbs.

Flowers among the mountains.

And this plant, I do not know the name.

Tall Pitsunda pine.

Fern.

Bamboo alley.

There are also thicker ones.

Still life.

In abandoned orchards the trees are running wild. This is in Tsebelda. The spectacle is wild.

Finita la comedy.

It turns yellow ...

The strawberry tree, or Arbutus (lat.Arbútus) is an evergreen plant, a genus of shrubs or trees families Heather(Ericaceae). In nature, about 20 species of Strawberry grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, western Europe and America. Strawberry tree, got its name from original form fruits, which are pink-red balls, shaped like strawberries.

Large-fruited strawberry is widespread in home indoor cultivation - a small tree, up to a meter in height.
A wild strawberry tree can grow to a height of 5 meters and live for over 50 years. The bark of 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.
The flowers of the Strawberry tree are quite small, resemble lily of the valley inflorescences, and are collected in panicles. The strawberry tree blooms in autumn, and in winter it is dormant, but does not shed its foliage.

Strawberry is a wonderful honey plant, the aroma of flowers attracts many insects, however, the honey from its flowers is slightly bitter. The flowers of the plant are white, the fruits are orange, after ripening they turn bright red. The fruits of the Strawberry tree are edible, they are very tasty and juicy, eaten raw, and used in cooking.

A strawberry tree grows in a bright and warm place, the choice of soil is not whimsical... Needs regular watering and feeding with complex fertilizers, especially during the period of active growth and ripening of fruits.

The strawberry tree propagates mainly by seeds. Seeds can be sown throughout the year. Sowing is superficial, the seeds are lightly sprinkled with soil or sand, covered with foil and kept in a warm place until shoots appear, which should be sprayed. The strawberry tree grows slowly blooms about a year after sowing.

A wild plant species is small-fruited strawberry. The leaves are leathery and smooth, a bit like pear leaves. The trunk is smooth, like a polished, bluish-red. The fruits are collected in bunches, bright red, edible.

Small-fruited strawberry blooms in winter, its crown is covered with white and elegant flowers almost until the end of March.

In the spring, during the ripening period, the strawberry strips, shedding the bark from the trunk and large branches. For this interesting and rare property the tree was popularly called the shameless woman, or "whisper", since on hot days you can hear the rustle, "whisper" of the strawberry bark being thrown off.

Unlike large-fruited strawberries, small-fruited ones can grow on poor and drier soils.
The strawberry tree is also used in medicine. The flowers of the tree have a honeyed, soft scent.

English fairy tale about the Strawberry tree.

Once a strawberry tree fell in love with a bird hiding in the foliage. The bird was very sick, and the strawberry tree, medicinal properties and with a kind heart, he cured her. The bird recovered and flew away, and the tree became sad, gathering all its strength, pulling out its roots from the ground, went into the mountains in search of its beloved bird.
For many years, the strawberry tree climbed to the top of the mountain, the sun was beating on it, and the bark peeled off and fell off the trunk, but it could not get to the top of the mountain. The tree got tired of climbing the rocky cliffs and said: "Cut 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 v natural flora subtropics of Crimea. Its leaves are dense, leathery, shiny, of a fairly regular oval shape. They tolerate light frosts well in winter.

It is a pleasure to walk in Alupka Park! The world of amazingly beautiful rare trees, near which you certainly feel like a little girl ... And it's not at all about the difference in growth. Just standing under their crowns you very sharply feel that you have only one life - your own, and the Strawberry tree has a whole plexus of lives! The aura of the reddish crown of these trees is such that you feel it all over your skin!

The recipe for cooking has sunk into oblivion heather honey from heather(Latin Callúna vulgáris), which gives people strength and youth.

Heather honey
(Robert Louis Stevenson. Translated by Samuel Marshak)

Heather drink
Forgotten a long time ago.
And he was sweeter than honey,
Drunker than wine.
They cooked it in cauldrons
And drank with the whole family
Baby Mead Brewers
In caves underground.

The king of Scots came
Ruthless to enemies
He drove the poor picts
To the rocky shores.
On a heather field
On the battlefield
Lay alive on dead
And the dead is on the living.

Summer has come in the country
The heather is blooming again
But there is no one to cook
Heather honey.
In their cramped graves,
In the mountains of the native land
Baby Mead Brewers
We found shelter for ourselves.

The king is riding the slope
Above the sea on a horse
And seagulls are flying nearby
On a par with the road.
The king looks sullenly:
« Again at my edge
Honey heather is blooming,
And we don't drink honey! "

But here are his vassals
Have noticed two
The last mead brews
Survivors.
They came out from under the stone,
Squinting at the white light -
Old humpback dwarf
And a boy of fifteen.

To the steep sea shore
They were brought in for questioning
But none of the prisoners
He didn’t say a word.
The king of Scots sat,
Without moving, in the saddle.
And little people
We stood on the ground.

The king angrily said:
- Torture awaits both,
If you don’t say, damn it,
How did you prepare honey!
The son and father were silent,
Standing at the edge of a cliff.
Heather rang above them,
Shafts rolled into the sea.

And suddenly a voice rang out:
— Listen Scottish king
Talk to you
Let me see you face to face!
Old age is afraid of death.
I'll buy life by betrayal,
I will give away the cherished secret! —
The dwarf told the king.

His voice is sparrow
It sounded sharp and clear:
—I would have betrayed the secret long ago
If the son did not interfere!
The boy does not feel sorry for his life,
He doesn’t care about death.
I sell my conscience
It will be ashamed to be with him.
Let him be tied tightly
And thrown into the abyss of waters
And I will teach the Scots
Cooking old honey!

Strong Scottish Warrior
Boy tied tight
And threw it into the open sea
From the coastal cliffs.
The waves closed over him.
Freeze the last cry ...
And echoed to him
From the cliff, the old father.

—I told the truth, Scots,
I expected trouble from my son.
I did not believe in the fortitude of the young,
Do not shave their beards.
And the fire is not terrible for me.
Let him die with me
My holy secret
My heather honey!

Friday, July 25, 2014 09:47 + in the quote pad

English tale of the strawberry tree

In her, the strawberry tree fell in love with the bird. The bird was about to die and took refuge in a tree. The tree, possessing medicinal properties and a kind heart, healed the bird. She flew away, and the tree, gathering all its strength, strained all its muscles-branches, pulled out its roots from the ground and went to look for its favorite bird.

For many years it climbed to the top of the mountain, the sun was blazing, the bark peeled off, but it did not catch up with the bird. The tree was tired and said: "Cut love", which can be freely translated as "there is no future for unrequited love", or even freer - "You will not be cute by force."

Shameless (strawberry tree) on Ayu - Dag. Photo JuliaUa

I am sure that it is very difficult to find a person who is not familiar with strawberries. Everyone saw it and many even collected it, but not everyone has heard about the strawberry tree.

These evergreen trees represent the Heather family and are very unusual plants, which boast their orange-red color of the trunk, which changes the bark every year. It is for this property that such an exotic miracle is also called a shameless woman.
Small-fruited, or red strawberry (Arbutus andrachne) can be found in the Crimea, where it is known under the name "health resort" and "shameless" - because the tree is able to "shed its skin."

I called this tree "red-skinned beauty" until I found out the name. I first met him on the old Sevastopol road, on the way to the Devil's Stairs. Unfortunately, I could not take photos then (the camera was empty).



Finally, on July 24, 2014, I met this wonderful tree in a Livadian park.



Its beautiful coral red trunk catches the eye immediately. The bark of the tree is completely smooth, without any cracks, like the reddish skin of a well-tanned person. Outer layer bark thin as paper, discarded annually. After that, the trunk becomes light, greenish. Over time, it turns red again.



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, of a fairly regular oval shape. They tolerate light frosts well in winter.



The fruits of the strawberry tree are small, spherical, orange, with a finely lumpy surface, somewhat resembling outward appearance strawberry fruits (as a result of this, the plant got its name). However, their internal structure is different, since the strawberry tree is completely unrelated to the strawberry. These fruits are juicy, sweetish. They attract birds, which feed on them and carry the seeds of the plant.

Small-fruited strawberry fruits are edible, but not particularly tasty, they are suitable for culinary processing.

Arbutus. Photo: Hawa Tor / The Epoch Times

There are about 20 species of strawberry tree. Its botanical name is Arbutus. In Crimea and Asia Minor, the tree was nicknamed by the color of the bark "kizyl-agach", that is, "mahogany". It lives for several hundred years, does not shine in height, it is down to earth. But ... by its usefulness, applicability, attractive beauty it significantly stands out among the diversity of the arboreal kingdom.



Legends of the strawberry tree

The Hebrew name for the tree is ktalav. The name comes from several ancient Arab legends, very sad

What could be sadder than betrayal? Legends are about this. The son leaves far from home, his father recovers thanks to the efforts of his daughter-in-law, who then becomes pregnant from him. The son returns, learns of the betrayal and, in despair, kills his father. Buries him, there eventually grows a red tree, which once a year sheds its bark, as if bleeding. Ktalav consists of two words with the roots "katal" and "av", "katal" - to kill, "av" - father.

Small-fruited strawberry (Shameless, Red strawberry, Strawberry tree, Resort girl) in Alupkinsky Park around Vorontsovsky Palace

And here are photos of a strawberry tree from the site












Interestingly, English Сut love and Hebrew "ktalav" are pronounced almost the same. And in America, the strawberry tree is called the "whisper"

When it throws off its "dress", it emits a rustling audible sound. In addition, the strawberry tree is a relict plant. The philosopher Theophastus, who lived in the 300s BC, mentions him in his writings.

Strawberry tree - evergreen, lives in the Mediterranean, Mexico, on the coast of the Caucasus and Crimea, in North America.

And one more interesting coincidence: Arbutus means “I love only you” from the language of flowers.

A personal look at the exotic strawberry tree and its interesting cultivation and special care

By the way, I first met him in Crimea, when I was vacationing there. Then I liked this miracle so much that I decided to start breeding it at home.

Having become interested in this treasure, I learned a lot of interesting things about it. Here, for example, that it bears fruit in September, and its fruits can be intoxicating and cause a severe headache if you eat them in large quantities. But, to be honest, I didn’t experiment. By the way, only in the ancient Latin language it is called arbutus. There are several types of this plant: mencis (its fruits are similar to strawberries, therefore it is also called mencis strawberries); large-fruited.

I decided to start raising such a handsome man myself, but in order to be able to do the grooming myself, I urgently needed advice on how to properly look after him. I turned to special literature, where I learned about all its features, as well as how to raise a handsome man. But it took me a huge amount of time. So I decided to save it for you. I will leave you with instructions that will help you to look after this pet correctly.

First of all, I will say that you can breed strawberries at home if you create the necessary microclimate in winter period time

To do this, I choose a well-lit room that I regularly ventilate. In the summer it grows with me at temperatures of eighteen - twenty-two degrees. At this time of the year, very often I take this miracle onto the balcony so that it can be on fresh air as it is very helpful. Well, in winter it lives with me at temperatures from three to eight degrees. Pruning is done to remove damaged, ugly or too dense branches.

You may have problems caring for your baby.

First of all, diseases that arise from improper care of the bush. For example, if you water the ground, then mushrooms from the genus Septoria can attack your pet. When such a disease occurs, the leaves are affected by chestnut spots. In case of minor damage, I remove stained greens, but if something more serious, then I resort to treatment with fungicides.

Even in waterlogged soil, the bacterium Agrobacterium, which lives on the roots, can settle. If this happens, then I remove the affected trees so as not to infect the rest. And yet, if the soil is too acidic, then the beauty can get chlorosis, since she will not have enough iron. In this case, I treat the baby with a special preparation containing iron. The pet also has pests and the most dangerous is spider mite... Well, that's it for how to look after this exotic guest.

How to plant a pet

I read that he can live on any garden soil... But I use a slightly acidic one, which contains organic fertilizers... Lime soil is also suitable for my pet. I place it on permanent place in the month of October or in the spring. I change the place of permanent residence, choosing in March or April in the case when the pet's roots 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. I do not do spraying, since my brainchild certainly does not need this procedure.

For a tree to be beautiful, you need feeding
For shrubs, feeding means a lot. I feed my bushes with both special fertilizers for heather and universal means. At the end of winter, I add manure to the soil. As for the adults, I feed them every three to four months. granular fertilizers... And in the spring I add potash and nitrogen fertilizers to the soil, which makes my pets more luxuriant and cheerful.

All breeding secrets are open

Reproduction takes place in two ways, for the first I use seeds. I sow them in peat mixed with sand and keep them indoors without heating. When the seedlings grow up, I place them in the soil of the same composition, but one at a time. Then they live with me in closed room for a year or two. If necessary (when the root system requires space) I transfer it to a larger container by transferring it.

In the second method, I resort to cuttings, for which I use semi-lignified cuttings, the length of which is ten centimeters. I cut them in the month of July. I place them in the same mixture and keep them at a temperature of sixteen to eighteen degrees. Further, when roots appear at them, I plant one at a time. Then I look after the same as for the seedlings.

On the south bank Crimean peninsula in the most hard-to-reach places and rocky tracts, the remains of forests have been preserved amazing plant with a very tasty name - strawberry tree, or, to be precise, small-fruited strawberry.

But, unfortunately, this unique relict plant of the preglacial period, belonging to the heather family, is an endangered species in Crimea, which, by the way, is the northernmost border of its habitat. Now in the wild there are only single trees or small sparse thickets. The largest wild strawberry habitat is located on the reserved Cape Martyan.

Strawberry is a very beautiful evergreen deciduous honey tree with intricately curved branches. It has leathery leaves and blooms with flowers that resemble lily of the valley flowers.

The wrinkled red fruits of small-fruited strawberries are a bit like strawberries. Hence the name of the tree. Another name - shameless - the tree received for the fact that aging its bark by the middle of summer turns red, cracks and exfoliates, exposing a young pistachio-green bark. And so it is repeated from year to year.

Strawberry fruits ripen in autumn and have a rather pleasant taste. But the nutritional value of in kind they represent only for birds.