Anyone who has ever seen a flowering field will not be able to forget this wonderful sight: a continuous carpet of flowers and herbs that sways from the slightest breeze. And the smell cannot be described in words, the flowers heat up in the sun’s rays, and it seems that the smell is only intensifying.
The world of flowers growing in the meadow is diverse. Besides cultivated plants, very often you can find wild ones. Many of them, such as St. John's wort or chicory, have medicinal properties. In this article we will look at what meadow flowers are called and what they look like in photos and pictures.
Types of meadow plants
Meadow flowers are flowers of steppes, fields and meadows that need a lot of light and warmth. They are light green with a silvery tint, which seems to protect the plants from the sun's scorching rays and burns. This group includes the following plants:
Yellow dandelion and other wildflowers
Any person, whether a city dweller or living in a distant province, at the beginning of summer observes an invasion of yellow flowers, which cover many clearings, meadows, parks and squares with a continuous carpet.
This unpretentious dandelion conquers more and more new territories. This flower grows absolutely everywhere, literally. And it doesn’t matter that it will be a crack in the asphalt or a hole between bricks on the wall of a building. Sometimes, in cloudy weather, you can observe the phenomenon of the disappearance of all dandelions.
In reality, they simply close their flowers tightly in a green calyx, giving the appearance of disappearing into the green grass. On a sunny day dandelions are blooming and close at the same time.
The yellow part of a dandelion is not a single flower, but a cluster of many thin flower tubes. When the stem is broken, it oozes milky juice, which is effective against the pain and swelling caused by a bee sting. It is enough just to place the broken stem on the bitten part of the body.
At a certain time, all the yellow flowers disappear and transparent white round ones appear. These are ripe dandelion flowers. Each tube is a flower turns into a seed with an individual parachute on a thin leg. The dandelion will show off its cap until a strong wind carries the seeds to new places of growth.
St. John's wort
IN old times There was an opinion about the dangers of St. John's wort for livestock. It was believed that animals that ate hay with St. John's wort would be poisoned by such food. It’s not for nothing that the flower has such a formidable name - St. John’s wort.
However, it later turned out that St. John's wort is not dangerous at all, and even vice versa has many healing properties . Since ancient times, these qualities of St. John's wort have been known to the steppe inhabitants - the Kazakhs. They called this plant “jerabai,” meaning healer of wounds. It was from the Kazakhs that the methods of treatment with St. John's wort were adopted.
At the present time medicines based on St. John's wort widely used in traditional and folk medicine. They are used for burns, wounds, and scratches. St. John's wort tinctures are used for respiratory diseases, colds, and are even simply used for prevention.
St. John's wort is propagated by seeds. After flowering. In place of the flowers, boxes with seeds appear, which open in dry weather and the seeds spill out onto the ground, where they germinate.
Wild phlox
Phlox - this plant is distinguished by its unpretentiousness. Blooms for many years in one place. During this time, wild phlox grows so much that it displaces almost all weeds.
People highly appreciated the wonderful aroma and abundant flowering phlox, in connection with which garden phloxes were bred different types. This flower begins to bloom in the second half of June. The name of the flower means fiery.
And if you look at how phloxes bloom, it becomes clear where this meaning comes from. It's like the gardens are on fire when the phloxes bloom red, pink, white shades. It is worth noting the magnificent aroma of these flowers, which captivates many amateur gardeners.
Chicory
This is a plant from a genus of biennial or perennial herbs, part of the Asteraceae family. The genus includes two species cultivated by humans and up to six wild ones.
Cultivated species:
- Salad;
- Ordinary.
The swollen chicory root contains a large amount of inulin, reaching 75% of the share. Thanks to this, the root is often consumed instead of coffee. Often dried and fried chicory root is added to natural coffee to improve taste.
Chicory can act as a sedative, astringent, choleretic, diuretic, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory agent. It is able to regulate metabolism, have a beneficial effect on digestion, reduce the amount of sugar in the blood and even improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Use of meadow plants in medicine
Chicory is used only in folk medicine. The root part is used to prepare a decoction, which helps with diseases associated with the gallbladder, liver, kidneys. Also, a remedy made from chicory roots is excellent for digestive problems.
Has a beneficial effect on gastritis, constipation, diabetes. Normalizes the general state of the body's metabolic processes.
Decoctions and tinctures from the ground part of the plant are used to stimulate appetite, improve the condition of the gastrointestinal tract, and in the treatment of anemia.
A remedy made from chicory stems and leaves has proven itself as calming and tonic for the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Decoctions are also used for external use to accelerate wound healing and treatment.
There are a huge number of wild plants that have medicinal properties. For example:
- Red meadow clover. It is an excellent diaphoretic, diuretic and choleretic agent. Has an anti-inflammatory effect. Helps stop bleeding. For colds it is used as an expectorant.
- Cornflower. A flower growing in a meadow. It is used for colds, as an antipyretic and diaphoretic. The flower is endowed with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, wound healing and laxative effects. Effective for stomach and colds. Helps in the treatment of constipation.
- Chamomile. Wild flower, which has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Effective for skin problems. Used for pain in the gastrointestinal tract.
This list can be continued endlessly. Nature has generously gifted our planet useful and beautiful field plants. In the meadow you can find:
- bells;
- meadow geranium;
- buttercups;
- dandelions;
- poppies;
- herbal cloves, etc.
It is very important to protect environment. Since human activity often leads to the disappearance of both animals and plants.
Most best view relaxation is a walk in nature. Nothing gives such a charge of energy, a surge of vigor and strength, as a hike in the forest, relaxation in a meadow or on the shore of a lake. In summer, the forest clearings are dotted with many modest wildflowers. They fill the air with wonderful aromas and delight the eye with variety. color range. It’s amazingly pleasant to be in nature, collect beautiful bouquets, weave wreaths from grass.
Among the wildflowers there are a large number of healing, so-called medicinal herbs. Therefore, outdoor recreation can be combined with a useful activity - collecting medicinal plants and provide yourself and your family with herbal teas throughout the winter, which can be used not only for treatment, but for prevention various diseases.
Of course, you can’t collect everything, despite their beauty, some wild plants and wild flowers can be poisonous. Therefore, you need to be able to distinguish useful plants from those that can cause harm.
Healing plants
Names of the most popular wildflowers and herbs, wild plants, which can be found in almost any clearing in the forest:
Dandelion
Wild, perennial, medicinal plant. Dandelion grows up to thirty centimeters in height, dandelion leaves are oblong, notched and collected in a rosette. The bright yellow flower grows on a single peduncle. At the break of the plant, a milky sap appears, which tastes bitter. These beautiful wildflowers can be used both as a medicinal plant and as a plant that is great for food. Dandelion leaves can be put in a salad, and the flowers can be made into jam.
Dandelion salad:
- Dandelion leaves.
- Cucumber.
- Green onions.
- Mayonnaise.
Cut all ingredients, salt, pepper and season with mayonnaise.
Before adding the leaves to the salad, they must be soaked for half an hour in cold, salty water or scalded with boiling water to get rid of the bitterness of the milky juice.
Dandelion jam:
- Dandelion flowers – 300 pieces.
- Sugar – 1 kilogram.
- Water – 2 glasses
- Lemon – 1 piece
First you need to boil the syrup from water and sugar, then dip the cooked, washed, green flowers into it. After the jam boils, cook for twenty minutes, five minutes before the jam is ready, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the jam. Leave the jam to steep for one day. Then strain the jam through cheesecloth, squeeze out the flowers and boil the resulting syrup for 20 minutes. The jam is ready.
For medicinal purposes Dandelion is used for such diseases, How:
Coltsfoot
The leaves of this plant are used to treat cough. If you translate the name of the coltsfoot from Latin into Russian, then that’s what it’s called – a cough-dispelling.
The plant is characterized by the fact that at the beginning of spring, yellow flowers appear first on the coltsfoot, and only then the leaves begin to grow. The leaves of the heart-shaped plant are smooth on top and have a pubescent edge below. Medicinal raw materials are harvested in the spring and the leaves are dried in the open air.
St. John's wort
This plant is used as an antidepressant. St. John's wort can cause dullness and dizziness in some animals. A very useful plant for honey bees, which collect large amounts of pollen from St. John's wort in the morning.
Typically St. John's wort is perennial, shrub or subshrub. St. John's wort can also be herbaceous, annual plant. The flowers are small, yellow with five petals. The leaves are small, smooth at the edges, usually opposite.
Snapdragon
The herb is used in folk medicine for liver diseases, jaundice, dropsy, headaches and shortness of breath.
Blossom Snapdragon starts in June and blooms until frost. Flowers can be yellow, white, Pink colour. Snapdragons can also have two-colored flowers. The flowers themselves are irregular in shape, two-lipped, large and can be simple or double.
It is a herbaceous or bushy perennial plant, ranging in height from fifteen to one hundred centimeters.
Clover
A flower like clover has found its use not only in folk medicine, but also in cosmetology. Clover is included in some hair beauty shampoos, and you can also prepare a decoction of clover flowers and use it for bathing for skin diseases.
In medicine, meadow clover is used as an astringent, hemostatic, and expectorant. Clover decoctions can be used as a diuretic and diaphoretic.
In appearance it has small flowers of pink, white or red. Clover leaves are collected in the form of a trefoil. By popular belief If you find a clover with four leaves, it will bring good luck.
Plantain
Absolutely all people know from childhood that you need to apply a clean, crushed plantain leaf to a scratch. And this is true, because plantain has wound healing, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Appearance the plantain has a very modest one. Wide leaves are collected in a basal rosette, peduncles are tall, bare, with small flowers.
Poisonous plants
There are a lot of wildflowers growing in the meadow, among which you can find not only useful or at least harmless plants, but also poisonous and life-threatening. Therefore, when collecting wildflowers, you need to remember the rule “unsure - don’t take it.”
Dangerous, poisonous wild plants
When walking through the forest and forest clearings, you must remember that not all plants are as harmless as they look, although they are beautiful. Even if you don’t prepare healing plants, but just collect a bouquet of wildflowers, you need to know what a particular flower looks like. To do this, you need to study photos of flowers and look at the pictures. It is good to purchase a reference book that contains detailed description wild plants and photographs of flowers.
Since ancient times, wildflowers have adorned human life. From early spring to late autumn they bloom in meadows, fields, forests, on roadsides, in a word, everywhere where plants can exist, and delight us with their modest charm.
There are a great variety of wildflowers, most of them have medicinal properties that have been used since ancient times.
Wildflowers are grown on personal plots. They require a minimum of care and are perfectly adapted to the conditions of the area.
Sometimes it is interesting to know what wildflowers can be found at this or that time of year, sometimes you want to sort them by color and know the names of wildflowers of each color.
This is the attempt that will be made in this article.
Wildflowers in spring
In early spring, one of the first to appear is the charming yellow flower – .
The Russian name coltsfoot received because of its special leaves: the lower side is fluffy and soft, it evaporates water weaker than the front side, and therefore is warmer - “mother”, and the upper side is smooth and cold - “stepmother”.
Other Russian names: tsar potion, butterbur, rannik, two-leaved grass, podbel, dioecious, water burdock, white-powder grass, near-river grass, Kamchuzhnaya grass, icy lapweed, mother grass, one-sided plant, horse's hoof.
The scientific Latin generic name (Tussilago) comes from two words: tussis - cough and ago - to set in motion, remove, and can be translated as “cough”. The plant received this name due to medical use it as a cough suppressant.
Coltsfoot sometimes appears as early as March and then throughout April pleases us with its yellow flowers.
This flower is widespread everywhere, but snowdrops or galanthus do not reach far to the north.
In nature, they are distributed in temperate climate zones in Europe, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus.
Daisies on the edge of the field.
Clover
This is red clover.
This is hybrid clover or pink clover.
This is creeping clover or white clover.
Yarrow
Cornflowers
The sky splashed its blue between it.
A delicate blue eyelash blinks from the bread
Cornflowers: “Don’t be sad when you pass by!”
A honey aroma floats over the meadows -
Summer generously scattered clover everywhere.
And they flicker in the grass like the glare of dawn,
Those fragrant balls, pleasing to the eye.
Wildflowers will enchant you.
Let there be more beautiful bouquets in the flower beds in the gardens -
Only in the meadows will you hear the melody of summer
Amazing tenderness and purity.
Having driven away all the sorrows, let my soul spill over
In a bright sea of flowers, serenely endless,
And at least for a moment to touch the big one,
The soul-healing divine mystery.
On the table in front of the open window,
Shaking a little from the passing wind,
Wildflowers unnoticed
They intoxicate us with every leaf.
The bells seemed to come to life,
Miracle music flowed from them,
It would be good if she got it
Before the one who was very loved.
Burning with its blue,
Cornflowers play under the rays,
They remember the smell of bread
And the parade of ears is golden.
Like brides at a wedding daisies
In their snow-white robes
Reminded us again, young people,
How we played tag with friends.
How we sat on a motley meadow,
Enjoying the gifts of summer,
As we wondered and waited for an answer,
How they picked flowers as they ran.
It is a mistake to believe that useful medicinal plants are found only in the wild. Of course, they are mainly collected in forests and meadows. But with the same success it is possible to grow medicinal herbs in personal plots - of course, if conditions are created that are close to natural.
Below you can see photos and descriptions of medicinal plants, as well as find out what medicinal herbs are and how you can grow them in your garden.
Forest and meadow medicinal herbs
St. John's wort (HYPERICUM). St. John's wort family.
When talking about what medicinal herbs there are, St. John's wort is one of the first that comes to mind. It is a rhizomatous herb, but more often a subshrub and shrub. Another name for this medicinal herb is “Ivanovo grass”. It is due to the fact that St. John's wort begins to bloom on Midsummer's Day.
The leaves of this herbaceous medicinal plant are whole, hard, and in some species they overwinter; flowers solitary or in corymbose inflorescence, golden. Flower growers often use herbs or shrubs.
Kinds:
St. John's wort (H. ascyron)– forest medicinal herb of Siberia and the Far East, up to 100 cm high, lanceolate leaves up to 10 cm long.
St. John's wort calyx (H. calycinum)- plant 25 cm high, from the Eastern Mediterranean, leaves are oval, large.
Gebler's St. John's wort (H. gebleri)– a medicinal plant of the wet meadows of the Far East, bright orange flowers, resistant.
St. John's wort (H. olympicum)- dry forests of Southern Europe, height 50 cm, in middle lane Russia is not resistant, the leaves are narrow-lanceolate, glaucous, height 25 cm.
St. John's wort (N. perforatum).
Growing conditions. The genus is very diverse in terms of the ecological needs of species, it includes typical plants Central Russian meadows - h. perforated, and drought-resistant, heat-loving subshrubs of Southern Europe (W. cup-shaped, W. Olympic).
They are grown in sunny, well-drained places protected from the wind. alkaline soils. Drought resistant.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer) and cuttings. Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Melissa (MELISSA). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
Melissa officinalis (M. officinalis)- perennial of Southern Europe, forms a dense bush 40-60 cm high from branched dense stems covered with ovate leaves, jagged along the edges. The entire plant is softly pubescent. The flowers are small, white, in whorls. And if the description of this medicinal plant is unremarkable, then the aroma deserves the highest praise. The plant exudes a very pleasant lemon scent, which is why it is sometimes called lemon balm. The variety "Aurea" has leaves with yellow spots.
Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded places with rich loose soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring) or dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Mint (MENTHA). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
(M. piperita)- a perennial from the countries of Southern Europe with a branched, hairy stem 60-80 cm high. The leaves are ovate, dark green; the shoot ends in a spike-shaped inflorescence with whorls of purple flowers. It grows quickly due to above-ground stolons.
Growing conditions. Light and semi-shaded places with loose fertile soils.
Reproduction. Sections of rooted stolons. Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.
Lovage (LEVISTICUM).
Lovage officinalis(L. officinaie)- decorative deciduous perennial with thick rhizome. The leaves are shiny, slightly bluish, pinnately dissected, large in the basal rosette and on the stem. The stem is branched, up to 150 cm high, bearing a large umbrella of yellowish flowers. The whole plant has a specific pleasant aroma, therefore it is also used as a flavoring agent.
Growing conditions. Sunny to semi-shaded locations with clayey, rich, moist soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing before winter), dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density -3 pcs. per 1 m2.
Soapwort (SAPONARIA). Clove family.
Perennials with creeping rhizomes, growing mainly in the Mediterranean. The flowers are fragrant, collected in a shield.
Kinds:
Soapwort officinalis(S. officinalis)- height 100 cm.
Soapwort basilicofolia (S. ocymoides)- height 10 cm.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with well-drained, light, lime-rich soil. Planting density - 16 pcs. per 1 m2.
Reproduction. Seeds (sowing in spring), summer cuttings.
Briefly about medicinal plants of forests and meadows
Below you can find a description of the medicinal herbs comfrey, yarrow, echinacea and valerian.
Comfrey (SYMPHYTUM). Borage family.
Perennials with thick rhizomes, 30-100 cm high, from the light forests of Europe and the Caucasus. The stems are winged, thick, straight. Leaves are petiolate, lanceolate. Plants are covered with stiff hairs. Flowers in drooping inflorescences - curl.
Kinds:
Caucasian comfrey (S. caucasicum)- 80-100 cm high, forms a thicket, blue flowers.
Comfrey officinalis (S. officinale)- 50-60 cm high, forms bushes.
Comfrey grandiflora (S. grandiflorum)- low (30-40 cm) compact bushes.
Growing conditions. Shady and semi-shady places with moist peaty soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring), dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.
Yarrow (ACHILLEA). Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
The genus contains about 100 species, found in the meadows of the temperate zone. It attracts attention with its undemanding culture, ability to grow quickly and beautiful gray-green, usually feathery leaves. Small baskets are collected in a corymbose inflorescence (10-20 cm in diameter).
Yarrow(A. millefolium)- with a long branching rhizome, therefore it forms a thicket 70-80 cm high.
Yarrow ptarmika, sneezing herb (A. ptarmica), has a variety with white double flowers - pearl oyster, height - 60 cm.
U "Perry's White" and "The Pearl"- white balls of the baskets are collected in a loose brush.
Yarrow meadowsweet (A. filipendulina)- dense bush, 60-100 cm high, dark green, pinnate leaves; the flowers are bright yellow in dense large corymbs (diameter up to 9 cm).
Yarrow tomentosa (A. tomentosa)- 15-20 cm high, leaves finely dissected, grayish, pressed to the ground, shield of yellow flowers 6-8 cm in diameter.
Growing conditions. Sunny places with any garden soil, grows well in sand.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing before winter or spring), by dividing the bush (in spring and autumn). Planting density -5-9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Echinacea (ECHINACEA). Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Perennial tall (up to 150 cm) herbs with a tap root and dense leafy stems, at the top in July-August with a large pinkish basket. The leaves are oval, pubescent, with sharp-toothed edges. Three species are native to the grasslands and prairies of the Southeast North America.
Most often grown echinacea purpurea (E. purpurea) with a dark pink basket.
Echinacea angustifolia(E. angustifolia) has a smaller and lighter basket.
And Echinacea pallidum (E. pallida)- reed flowers are narrow, pale pink. The last two species are more dry-loving.
Growing conditions. Sunny locations with rich soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sown in spring), seedlings bloom in the 2nd year. The division of the bush is carried out in the spring. In one place without dividing, Echinacea can grow for up to 15 years. Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Echinacea purpurea will decorate any flower garden, mixborder, and can also be grown as individual bushes on the lawn. Often used as a medicinal plant.
Valerian (VALERIANA). Valerian family.
Perennial rhizome herbs of meadows and light forests of the temperate zone of Eurasia. They grow both as individual bushes and thickets (species with underground stolons). The flowers are small, in a beautiful openwork inflorescence-tassel, the leaves are usually pinnate.
Kinds:
Mountain valerian(V. montana)- bush 40 cm high, pink flowers in bunches.
Valerian officinalis(V. officinalis)-height up to 100 cm, white flowers, pinnate leaves.
Valeriana Fori (V. fauriei)- forms thickets 40 cm high.
Valeriana lipolifolia(V. tiliifolia)- up to 150 cm high, leaves are large, simple, heart-shaped, flowers are white, in a corymbose inflorescence.
Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded areas with moderately moist rich soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring and before winter), by dividing the bush (in spring), they are often weeded. Planting density -5 pcs. per 1 m2.
If we talk about this medicinal plant briefly, we can define its medicinal properties as sedative. And in landscape design it is used to create dense evergreen ground cover on tree trunk circles, spots on shady rockeries.
Description of the best medicinal herbs
(SALVIA). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
A large genus (almost 700 species), which includes plants of different life forms, growing all over the world. They all contain essential oils and grow in warm habitats. The leaves are ovate, the stems are branched, the final inflorescence is a raceme of medium-sized helmet-shaped flowers.
Kinds:
Sage sticky(S. glutinosa)- subshrub up to 100 cm high, from the forests of Southern Europe, pale yellow flowers.
Meadow sage(S. pratensis)- height 70-80 cm, blue flowers.
Sage rejected(S. patens)- height 70 cm, blue flowers.
Oak sage (S. nemorosa)- height 60 cm, purple flowers.
Salvia officinalis(S. officinalis)-height 50 cm.
Growing conditions. This is one of the best medicinal plants that prefers sunny areas (except for sticky sage) with fertile, well-drained soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (spring), dividing the bush (spring and late summer). Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Toothwort (DENTARIA). The cabbage (cruciferous) family.
Perennial herbs 15-20 cm high with a long, clear rhizome and dark green leaves, large pink and crimson flowers. Typical early spring forest ephemeroids, ending the growing season already in June. They are attractive because they form a bright pink color in spring. blooming carpet. They bear fruit. They form self-seeding.
Kinds:
Toothwort tuberiferous(D. bulbifera)- a plant of the Caucasus with fawn-colored flowers.
Glandular teeth (D. glandulosa)- from the Carpathians, with large crimson flowers.
Five-leaved toothwort (D. quinquefolia)- from the forests of Europe, pink flowers.
Growing conditions. Shaded areas under a canopy of trees with forest soils, moderate moisture.
Reproduction. Seeds (sow freshly collected) and sections of rhizomes (after the end of flowering). Planting density - 25 pcs. per 1 m2.
Initial letter (BETONICA). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
About 15 species growing in temperate meadows. Short-rhizomatous herbs that form decorative dense bushes of ovate rosettes, crenate along the edges of leaves.
Kinds:
Capital letter grandiflora - grandiflora chistema (B. macrantha = B. grandiflora = Stachys macranthus) height 50-60 cm, beautiful leaves and dark pink large flowers.
Medicinal initial letter (B. officinalis)- more tall plant(80-90 cm), flowers are smaller.
Growing conditions. Sunny places with fertile soils and moderate moisture.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (spring and late summer) and seeds (sowing before winter). Seedlings bloom in the third year. Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.
Burnet (SANGUISORBA). Rosaceae family.
Short-rhizome perennials from wet meadows of the temperate zone of Eurasia.
Kinds:
Burnet (officinalis) (S. officinais)- 80-100 cm high, dark red flowers.
Gorgeous burnet (S. magnifica)- height 80-90 cm, large pinkish-crimson flowers.
Small burnet (S. minor)- height 40 cm, graceful inflorescences, red flowers, openwork plant.
Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded areas with fertile, moist soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in autumn), dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density – 5 pcs. per 1 m2.
Perennial medicinal herbs with photos and descriptions
Below are photos and descriptions of the medicinal herbs elecampane, zopnik and cuff:
Elecampane (INULA). Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Perennial herbaceous species (about 200), widely distributed in meadows and light forests in the temperate zone of Eurasia. The rhizomes are thick, powerful, and the root system is deep. The basal leaves are large, heart-shaped, oval, the stems are straight, slightly branched (except for the magnificent elecampane), the flowers are large yellow “daisies”.
Kinds:
Elecampane magnificent(I. magnifica = I. orientalis)- up to 150 cm high, branched stem, basket -15 cm in diameter in sparse corymbs, spreading bush.
Elecampane tall (I. helenium)- stems are slightly branched, 150-200 cm high, elliptical leaves, baskets 6 cm in diameter, cylindrical bush.
Elecampane swordfolia(I. ensifolia)- 30 cm high, narrow leaves, basket 4 cm, Compacta variety - 20 cm high.
Growing conditions. Sunny places with any garden soil and average moisture. Hardy perennials.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring), dividing the bush (in spring). Elecampane is a perennial medicinal herb that lives without transplantation or division for 8-10 years. Planting Density large plants- 3 pcs. per 1 m2; Elecampane sword-leaved - 12 pcs.
Zopnik (PHLOMIS). Lamiaceae family.
Perennial herbs (about 100 species) with a thick rhizome or tap root, rough leaves, flowers collected in false whorls forming a spike-shaped inflorescence.
Kinds:
Zopnik Roussel(P. russeliana)- 90 cm high, yellowish-pinkish flowers.
Zopnik tuberiferous (P. tuberosa)- 50-70 cm high, purple flowers.
Zopnik meadow (P. pratensis)- 50-70 cm high, pink flowers.
Cuff (ALCHEMILLA). Rosaceae family.
Pay attention to the photo of this medicinal herb - the cuff has a short rhizome and a rosette of round, often fluffy, bright green leaves forming a spherical bush. At the height of summer, loose openwork inflorescences of small yellow flowers rise above them. Flowering is abundant and long lasting.
Kinds:
Alpine cuff(A. aipina)- with trifoliate dense leaves and small inflorescences.
Red petiolate cuff (A. erythropoda)- with gray-green dense leaves, 30 cm high.
Soft cuff(A. moiiis)- the most beautiful, stable, undemanding cuff. Its leaves are round, fluffy, pale green with a wavy edge, up to 6 cm in diameter. Peduncles are numerous, up to 60-70 cm high.
Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded areas with loose, fertile neutral soils and moderate moisture. Does not tolerate stagnant moisture.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring) and dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Easily tolerates division and transplantation. Planting density - 5 bushes per 1 m2.
One of the most colorful, consistently decorative and interesting plants in mixed flower beds. The cuff looks good in flower beds of the “natural garden” style and in mixborders together with cornflower, heuchera, cornflowers, coreopsis, etc. It is used to decorate bouquets, giving them lightness and delicacy.
Medicinal herbs and their cultivation
Thyme, thyme, Bogorodskaya herb (THYMUS). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
A large genus (about 400 species) of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs with recumbent or erect woody stems and straight, upward-pointing peduncles. They grow on rocks in the southern regions of Eurasia. The leaves are small, oval, opposite, leathery, usually overwintering. Due to recumbent, rooting shoots, plants quickly grow, forming low, dense “mats” and “pillows” (10-30 cm high), emitting pleasant aroma. In mid-summer, numerous inflorescence heads of small flowers appear.
Kinds:
Lemon-scented thyme (Th. citriodorus).
Common thyme (T. vulgaris)- height 5-15 cm, leaves are pubescent on the underside.
creeping thyme (T. serpyllum)- leaves are larger than those of other species.
Growing conditions. Sunny locations with light, well-drained soil, neutral or alkaline. Grows on sand.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer), by seeds (sowing before winter), by cuttings (in spring). Planting density - 25 pcs. per 1 m2.
Used as a carpet plant in mixed flower beds, rockeries and on paths among tiles. Looks good in containers.
Hellebore (VERATRUM). Melanthiaceae (lily) family.
Tall (100-150 cm) herbaceous perennials growing in meadows and steppes of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Powerful short rhizome and deep roots. The stems are straight, thick, and bear tough, folded along the veins, elliptical, beautiful leaves. The flowers are small, open, in a large paniculate inflorescence. All species are similar in appearance.
Kinds:
White hellebore (V. album)- flowers are whitish-greenish.
California hellebore(V. californicum)- flowers are white with green veins.
Black hellebore (V. nigrum)- flowers are blackish-brown.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with rich soils are moisture-loving, but tolerate drought well.
Reproduction. By seeds (sown in spring), seedlings bloom in the 5th-6th year. By dividing the bush (in spring), the divisions grow slowly and often die. Planting density - 5 pcs. per 1 m2.
Chernogolovka (PRUNELLA). Family Lamiaceae (Labiaceae).
Perennials with creeping rhizomes, erect, low (25-40 cm) stems; leaves are entire, with an uneven edge; flowers in false whorls in a capitate inflorescence.
Kinds:
Chernogolovka grandiflora(P. grandiflora)- height 25 cm.
Webb's blackhead (P. x webbiana)- purple flowers.
Chernogolovka vulgare (P. vulgaris)- flowers are reddish.
Growing conditions. Sunny and slightly shaded areas with garden, moderately moist soils.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density - 16 pcs. per 1 m2. Capable of forming a thicket and growing weeds.
Euphorbia (EUPHORBIA). Euphorbiaceae family.
A large genus - about 2000 species, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe, but there are also species in the temperate zone. Their height, leaf shape and type of root system are different, but they stand out for their original flowers.
Look at the photo of this medicinal plant: small flowers are collected in an inflorescence, surrounded by a common veil in the form of a glass (which appears to be a flower), and the “glasses” are collected in complex umbrella-shaped inflorescences with wrappers. In general, all this gives the impression of a “flying”, openwork yellowish inflorescence.
In sunny dry places - cypress spurge (E. cyparissias)- a low-growing (15-20 cm) plant of the steppes with narrow bluish leaves, densely located on lodging stems.
In sunny places with rich soils - Euphorbia multicolor(E. poiychroma), forming a tall bush (50-60 cm) of densely leafy woody shoots.
In the shadow - long-horned spurge (E. macroceras) with a high stem (up to 100 cm) and scaly euphorbia (E. squamosa) 20-30 cm high with a spherical through bush.
Growing conditions. Euphorbias can grow in a wide variety of conditions depending on the ecological characteristics of the species, but always in well-drained soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring) or dividing the bush (in spring and late summer).
They self-sow easily and are capable of weeding. Planting density - 5 pcs. per 1 m2.
Eryngium (ERYNGIUM). Celery (umbelliferous) family.
About 230 species are known, growing on almost all continents. But in cultivation, perennial herbs are more often grown with leathery, whole or dissected leaves, prickly along the edges. The flowers are small, blue, located in the axil of the bracts and collected in a capitate inflorescence surrounded by hard, spiny involucre leaves. Magnificent for their originality and exoticism. They bear fruit abundantly.
Kinds:
Alpine eryngium(E. alpinum) - 70 cm high, interesting wrapper of bluish, curved upward leaves.
Amethyst eryngium (E. amethystinum)- amethyst blue wrapper.
Burg's eryngium (E. bourgatii)- 30-40 cm high, leathery leaves with a white pattern.
Eryngium flatifolia (E. planum)- a plant of the steppes of Europe and Asia, the stems are bluish, the capitate inflorescences are small, bluish.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with loose, poor, sandy or rocky soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (before winter) or by dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density - 5 pcs. per 1 m2.
Wormwood (ARTEMISIA). Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Large genus (more than 250 species). Of the numerous species, subshrubs and perennials with fragrant silvery leaves, pubescent or tomentose, are mainly cultivated. The flowers are inexpressive and colorless, so it is better to cut off the peduncles.
Kinds. In central Russia the most decorative and stable are:
Wormwood Pursha (A. purchiana)- forms a cover of straight stems with silvery elongated whole leaves, responds well to constant pruning, can be planted in borders.
Steller's Wormwood (A. steiieriana)- a low plant with spatulate leaves, forming a dense spot; sometimes the leaves overwinter.
Wormwood Louis(A. iudoviciana)- with narrow, lanceolate leaves.
Wormwood Schmidt (A. schmidtiana), the “Nana” form is especially interesting, 15-20 cm high with rounded, heavily indented leaves.
Growing conditions. Wormwood is an undemanding plant that grows well in sunny places with any soil, and is especially good on well-drained sandy alkaline substrates.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer), by seeds (sowing in spring). Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Description of the best medicinal plants and their photos
In this chapter you can read the description of such medicinal herbs and plants as rhubarb, cat's foot, cyanosis, toadflax and mullein.
Rhubarb (RHEUM). Buckwheat family.
A powerful perennial with a multi-headed rhizome, from which large, round, five to seven-lobed light green leaves emerge on long, fleshy, ribbed reddish petioles.
At the end of spring, a powerful peduncle (up to 150 cm in height) rises above the rosette of leaves, bearing a large panicle of small whitish-fawn flowers. Grows in the meadows of Eurasia.
Kinds. In culture they often use:
Rhubarb palmate (Rh. palmatum) And R. Tangut (Rh. tanguticum) with more deeply dissected leaves.
Black Sea rhubarb (Rh. rhaponticum)-dense shiny leaves.
Growing conditions. Well-lit and semi-shaded areas with deep, fertile garden soils and normal moisture.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing before winter) and dividing the bush (in spring and late summer). Planting density is single.
Cat's paw, antennaria (ANTENNARIA). Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Low (5-10 cm) dioecious plants from pine forests Europe and North America. The leaves are densely pubescent, white-tomentose, wintering, collected in a rosette. They grow due to creeping shoots. Flower baskets are small, round, in a capitate inflorescence.
Kinds. Cat's paw dioecious (A. dioica) has the forms:
"Tomentosa"- more densely pubescent; "Rubra"- with red pink flowers; "Minima"- height 5 cm.
"Rosea"- with pink flowers; Antennaria sun-loving(A. aprica)- height 10-15 cm.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with poor, slightly acidic, dry sandy soils. On ordinary garden soils it will quickly grow and lose its decorative effect.
Reproduction. By dividing a bush or a section of a creeping shoot (in spring or late summer). Plant densely - 36 pcs. per 1 m2.
On poor sandy soils it creates a low, slowly growing, but consistently decorative silvery ground cover.
Cyanosis (POLEMONIUM). Family of cyanaceae.
Cluster-rooted perennials, grow in light forests of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Bushes from 25 to 50 cm tall, decorative leaves, wintering; the flowers are numerous, collected in a raceme-like inflorescence, blue.
Kinds:
Creeping cyanosis(P. reptans)- height 30 cm.
blue cyanosis (P. caeruleum)- height 60 cm.
Growing conditions. Sunlit or semi-shaded areas with normal garden soils. A very undemanding plant.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing before winter), dividing the bush (in spring, late summer). Self-seeding possible. Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Toadflax (LINARIA). Norichnikov family.
Perennials from the Mediterranean with narrow leaves and two-lipped flowers with a spur in a racemose inflorescence. The plants are graceful, low (40-50 cm).
Kinds:
Dalmatian toadflax (L. daimatica)- yellow flowers.
Common toadflax (L. vuigaris)- yellow flowers.
Macedonian toadflax (L. macedonica)- pubescent plant, yellow flowers.
Purple toadflax (L. purpurea)- red flowers.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with loose sandy dry soils.
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring) and dividing the bush (in spring). Planting density - 20 pcs. per 1 m2.
Mullein (VERBASCUM). Norichnikov family.
Plants of open dry places of Europe and the Mediterranean. Biennials and perennials from 50 to 150 cm in height, basal leaves are large, on petioles; The stem is straight, with sessile, entire, pubescent leaves. The flowers are wheel-shaped, small, in a branched large inflorescence. Magnificent plant, providing the architecture of the flower garden.
Kinds:
Hybrid mullein (V. x hybridum)- often grown as a two-year-old.
Olympic mullein (V. olympicum)- height 180-200 cm, leaves are very pubescent, flowers are yellow.
Purple mullein (V. phoeniceum)- height 100 cm, purple flowers in a sparse cluster.
Black mullein(V. nigrum)- height 120 cm, yellow flowers with a red center.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with loose sandy soils. Drought resistant.
Reproduction. Seeds (in spring), seedlings bloom in the second year.
