Kukushkin flax is a plant that in the territory Russian Federation most common in the forests of northern and middle zone. Favorable conditions for it are observed in taiga swampy forests, swamps and wet meadows. The plant belongs to the genus of the bryophyte division. There are more than a hundred of its varieties found on the planet. Kukushkin flax, which forms cushion-shaped tufts, is often found in the tundra and mountainous areas. Polytrichum vulgaris (the second name of the plant) is the most widespread in the CIS countries.

Great importance of the sun

Kukushkin flax loves light very much. That is why in dark spruce forests, even if the soil there is damp and fertile, it will be limited in growth and development. With enough sunlight, the plant rapidly stretches, actively capturing new areas and covering the soil with a dense carpet. The ground under cuckoo flax dries out much more slowly, which is why its growth gradually leads to swamping of the area.

Description

Cuckoo flax moss is distinguished by rather tall stems (their length is 10-15 centimeters, but forty-centimeter plants are also found). The conductive system ensures the movement of water and nutrients along the stem.

origin of name

The described plant has straight stems of a brownish color. They bear small dark green leaves that resemble flax in miniature. But the boxes that appear on female plants evoke associations with a cuckoo perched on a kind of pole.

The structure of cuckoo flax

The plant in question is classified as a leafy perennial moss. Its size is large; in the lower part of the stem there are rhizoids - primitive analogues of roots. There are no leaves on the primary horizontal stem. The secondary stem can be either simple or branched. He's upright average length- within fifteen centimeters. Each leaf has a main large vein. Kukushkin flax, the structure of which is quite simple, has scale-like lower leaves.

Functions of the stem

The main role of this part of the plant is supporting. The conductive capacity of the stem is no less important. It acts as a link between the leaves and the root system. The stem also performs some secondary functions. Among them is maintaining the supply of nutrients.

Reproduction and development

The plant reproduces in the following ways: sexually (gametes) and asexually (spores, shoots). They alternate.

How exactly does the cuckoo flax plant reproduce? The spores that the plant produces are in a sporangium (box) on a stalk. After ripening, they spill out of this natural storage. At favorable conditions spores form a multicellular thread, and from it, in turn, several gametophytes appear (this happens by budding). A gametophyte is a green perennial shoot that has leaves and rhizoids (root-like formations). The latter take salts and iodine from the soil. Leaf cells provide the synthesis of all other necessary substances. Based on this, it can be argued that the gametophyte is an independent organism.

After some time, the gametophyte stops growing. Then the cuckoo flax begins to reproduce. In the center of the rosette of leaves (location - at the top of the stem) male and female genital organs develop. The first are represented by antheridia (the name comes from the Greek word “anteros”, which means “blooming”), in which mobile gametes - sperm, as well as archegonia - female genital organs, which are responsible for the formation of a stationary female gamete - the egg, undergo a development cycle.

Male plants are characterized by the presence of larger leaves, colored in. Female specimens do not have such leaves.

When a rainy period or high water occurs, sperm (male cells) are able to swim to the egg. As a result, they merge. Upon completion of the fertilization process, a zygote appears (this word comes from the Greek “zygotos”, which translates as “joined”). This is the first stage of embryo development. The next year, from the fertilized zygote, a capsule (sporogon) develops, located on a rather leafless plant. Subsequently, the capsule becomes the site for the development of spores. This natural repository is very fragile. It sways even in a light breeze. After the cap falls off and the spores fall out, the germination of a green branched thread - a pre-spring - is observed. Note that for a successful result it is necessary that the spores enter an environment favorable to them, in which case the cuckoo flax will reproduce.

On the pre-bud, buds are formed, from which female and male specimens of the plant emerge. Thus it can be seen that life cycle The development of mosses includes a sequential alternation of asexual and sexual generations. During evolution, this feature was developed in many plants, including cuckoo flax.

Propagating this vegetatively makes it easy to get a thick green carpet on personal plot. It is enough just to place a small piece of moss on a damp area. However, one should take into account the ability of this plant to swamp its habitat.

Use for various purposes

If you remove the leaves from the cuckoo flax, you can get flexible, hard threads formed by the central stems. Our ancestors used this natural material for making brushes and brooms. After soaking and combing, the stems make an excellent base for mats, rugs, baskets and thick curtains. It is noteworthy that during excavations of an early Roman fort in England, the remains of baskets made from cuckoo flax were found. The pieces date back to 86 AD.

Previously, cuckoo flax was widely used in the manufacture of cloaks for warriors and travelers. The resulting garments were particularly durable. In addition, they had decorative value.

Healers advise using this type of moss to activate the digestive system, eliminate stomach colic and dissolve kidney and gallstones.

Kukushkin flax, the structure of which allows it to be used in gardening for decorative purposes, has a positive effect on the soil. So, this plant is capable of normalizing soil acidity in a maximum of two seasons. After this, on the restored soil you can successfully grow any garden plants. Dead parts of moss will serve as an excellent fertilizer.

Most unusual option the use of cuckoo flax - as malt in the production of whiskey.

Natural insulation

Kukushkin flax can effectively protect a structure from the penetration of cold and moisture. The fact that moss does not rot is greatly appreciated. Its placement between the logs of the log house allows for moss to be used fresh for these purposes. Before laying natural insulation, it must be thoroughly cleaned of twigs, sticks, cones, grass and other inclusions.

Sphagnum moss

This plant belongs to the genus of white (peat) mosses. 320 of its species have been identified. Sphagnum is predominantly represented by bog mosses, which form dense clusters that form either large pillows or thick carpets on the ground. But in humid forests, sphagnum is much less common. This plant resembles Kukushkin flax with its erect stem, reaching ten to twenty centimeters in height. The leaves of sphagnum are single-layered and placed on fascicle-shaped branches. The leaves contain many aquifer cells with pores that actively absorb water. This fact determines the plant’s greater moisture capacity. In areas where these mosses appear, raised bogs quickly develop.

Every year the stems in the lower part of the plant die off. They form peat. Further growth of the stem is ensured by the apical branches.

Note that sphagnum plays an important role in the formation and existence of swamps. As mentioned above, dead areas of moss form peat deposits. Peat formation is possible due to stagnant waterlogging, the provision of an acidic environment by mosses and the lack of oxygen. Under these conditions, rotting processes do not occur and sphagnum does not decompose. Peat is a valuable product from which wax, ammonia, paraffin, alcohol, etc. are obtained. It is widely used in medical practice and in construction. Moss acts as a biofuel and an effective fertilizer.

How is sphagnum useful?

Many folk recipes and official medicine include this component. And all because sphagnum moss is an excellent antiseptic and reliable dressing material. It helps heal purulent wounds due to its ability to absorb a large number of moisture. In this indicator, sphagnum is superior to the best varieties of absorbent wool. This moss is capable of producing a bactericidal effect due to the presence of sphagnol - a special phenol-like substance that inhibits the development and vital activity of E. coli, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and some other pathogenic microorganisms.

Flower growers actively use sphagnum moss to grow indoor plants. It is a component of the substrate, a mulch layer or performs drainage functions. Moss is not rich in nutrients, but it gives the soil the required looseness. The excellent hygroscopicity of sphagnum explains its ability to evenly distribute moisture. The presence of sphagnol determines the bactericidal properties of the described type of moss, which allows you to effectively care for the roots of the main plant, preventing the development of diseases and decay.

For schoolchildren 5 6 7 class.

What is the difference between sphagnum moss and cuckoo flax. differences, what's common.
Sphagnum (also called white moss) and cuckoo flax (long moss) are representatives of bryophytes belonging to different classes: Leaf mosses and sphagnum mosses, respectively.

Photo: Kukushkin moss flax and sphagnum in the forest

They live in reclaimed places, cuckoo flax mainly under the forest canopy, sphagnum both in the forest and in swamps, depending on the species. Swamp sphagnum can also grow on the surface of the water, due to this, rafting can form on the shores of swampy reservoirs - a floating plant carpet, or floating islands.
spruce forests forming plant communities with sprouts of cuckoo flax (long moss) are called long-moss spruce forests
Structure: Cuckoo flax and sphagnum are quite large mosses, the size of both can reach 15-20 centimeters (the size of other bryophytes may not exceed a few millimeters).
Both mosses do not have real roots like higher plants; instead of roots, Kukushkin flax has rhizoids that hold it on the substrate and perform the function of absorbing moisture; sphagnum, on the other hand, has neither roots nor rhizoids; it absorbs moisture with its entire surface. The lower part gradually dies off over time, forming peat, while the upper part constantly grows.
Stem at cuckoo flax straight, not branched, covered with many leaflets with a central rib. Sphagnum has a branched stem, the branches are arranged in whorls, the stem is densely covered with small, spirally arranged leaves without a central rib.
Both mosses reproduce by spores, forming spore boxes called sporangia.

In addition to sexual reproduction by spores, mosses can reproduce vegetatively: a piece of a stem or leaf can form a new plant.
The stems of cuckoo flax have a primitive conducting system formed by elongated cells connected to each other. Sphagnum does not have a specialized conducting system, but sphagnum can absorb large amounts of water, due to the fact that it consists of 2 types of cells: narrow mesh-connected green living cells, and large hollow dead cells located between them in which water accumulates.

Economic importance: Cuckoo flax is used in landscape design, the fiber is used to compose soil mixtures for orchids and some rare ornamental plants. Sphagnum forms peat, which is an irreplaceable product. peat is both a fossil fuel and a raw material for chemical industry. Peat is also used as a soil mixture for vegetable growing and floriculture. In addition, sphagnum and cuckoo flax have long been used in Rus' as insulating material in construction. wooden huts and log houses

Meaning in nature: Both mosses are primary soil formers - cuckoo flax produces so-called coarse humus, and sphagnum forms peat. Thickets of cuckoo flax and sphagnum are capable of retaining large amounts of moisture, cuckoo flax due to the dense foliage and closeness of the turf, and sphagnum also due to its porous structure
By retaining precipitation, such thickets balance the water regime of rivers. Sometimes contribute to waterlogging of forest soils
In the tundra zone, the moss cover of cuckoo flax, along with the moss lichen, is eaten by deer.

COMPARISON TABLE

	Sphagnum	Kukushkin flax	Marchantia
Class	Sphagnum mosses	Leaf mosses	Liver mosses (Liverworts)
Habitat	In the swamps and forests	In the forest. In burnt areas, in clearings	In the forest. In waterlogged meadows
Attachment to the soil	There are no roots at all. as it grows, the lower part of the stem dies and becomes peaty	there are no roots, instead there are rhizoids	rhizoids on the lower side of the thallus
Stem	straight with branches	straight line does not branch	instead of a stem there is a horizontal flat thallus (thallus). dichotomous branching
Leaves	simple triangular, from one layer of cells, on the stem and branches are different.	triangular, from one layer of cells, identical. there are central ribs	no leaves
Conducting system	absent. there are dead hollow cells that absorb water	primitive. from special cells	absent
Reproduction	spores and vegetatively (plant parts)	spores and vegetatively	spores and vegetatively
Meaning	forms peat. sometimes causes waterlogging of forests, used for insulation	fiber is used for soil mixtures, participates in the overgrowth of forest burnt areas and cutting areas, used for insulation	not in demand on the farm, in nature it is a soil-forming agent, some invertebrates feed

Additionally: The science that studies bryophytes is called Bryology.
Grows in New Zealand

Candidate of Biological Sciences Dmitry Donskov. Photo by the author

Once you have acquired a name, it doesn’t matter what your name is.
Werner Miech

The ribbed boxes at the ends of polytrichum shoots resemble cuckoos sitting on a pole.

Polytrichum vulgaris, or cuckoo flax.

A single shoot of Polytrichum vulgaris is somewhat similar to a miniature tree.

Polytrichum juniper.

Polytrichum pilosum.

Polytrichum compressed.

Relatives of polytrichum: on the left - polytrichastrum, on the right - atrichum, in the next photo - pogonatum.

Photo by Oleg Ivanov.

At all times, people, of course, knew what mosses looked like, but the latter always remained only a faceless green mass: soft pillows covering stones, plump clumps stuck to old stumps, fluffy covers hanging from trunks. No distinction - just mosses. And only a few have received the honorable right to have their own, popular name...

One of these lucky ones is our hero cuckoo flax. Strictly speaking, this name refers to species of the genus Polytrichum from the family of the same name. It's pretty large plants, divided into a primary horizontal stem without leaves, usually hidden in the litter, and a secondary vertical one, well leafed. If we take a single shoot, then polytrichum in its appearance most resembles a miniature tree, or a spruce sprout, or a thin bottle brush.

The leaves of polytrichum are straight, adjacent when dry, and spaced to slightly bent when wet, sharply demarcated into a colorless base tightly adjacent to the stem and a lanceolate blade. Interesting feature leaf structure - the presence on its upper surface of vertical, longitudinal plates, which greatly increase the surface area for photosynthesis. The platelets are best seen on a cross section of the leaf, and the shape of their apical cell varies depending on different types and serves as an important diagnostic sign.

You can often see how the shoot continues into a smooth thin stalk, which is crowned by a swollen, ribbed capsule, sometimes covered with a cap. It is in it that spores ripen, which serve the polytrichum for reproduction and settlement. The spores are very small and light, and a weak breeze is enough to carry them on a long air journey.

Perhaps the most famous representative of the genus is the common polytrichum (P. commune). And this is no coincidence. Firstly, it is one of the largest, in the sense of long, mosses on the planet. Under favorable conditions it can reach a length of up to half a meter! Its leaves are toothed, with a large base, so they appear widely spaced along the stem. Secondly, it is known on all continents except Antarctica, from the Arctic regions to the tropics, although in the tropics it can only be found in the mountains. And thirdly, this species plays a huge role in local ecosystems. It prefers to settle on moist soils, in lowlands, near swamps, in coniferous forests, especially spruce forests. The turf forms thick, dense, well accumulating and conserving moisture. Therefore, with the help of polytrichum, an already damp area becomes even wetter, then more and more, which inevitably leads to swamping of the forest and intensive peat formation.

However, although cuckoo flax grows under the forest canopy, it, like all green brethren, prefers good lighting. In a dark spruce forest its growth will be limited. But if the forest is cut down or destroyed by fire, then the time has come for polytrichum to demonstrate its strength! It quickly grows in length, aggressively capturing new areas, and covers the soil with a dense carpet. Not a single seed will make it to the ground through such a cover! That is why foresters have no respect for this moss, and they fight with it so that it does not interfere with reforestation.

Very similar to the previous species, juniper polytrichum (P. juniperinum). It is smaller in size, up to 10-15 cm in length. Leaves with a shorter base, not spaced along the stem, with a smooth, curled edge. It is also widespread throughout the world, although it gravitates towards the taiga zone, where it is found en masse. Prefers open habitats, without strong moisture, such as wastelands, clearings, burnt areas, sparse forests, or light pine forests, where it forms a thick moss carpet.

But the polytrichum piliferum (P. piliferum) cannot be confused with anyone else. It got its name because its leaves end in a long, white hair, visible even to the naked eye. Upon closer inspection, it seems as if thin threads of a cobweb are caught on the tops of the leaves. This species is small in size, up to 3-5 cm, densely leafy at the top of the stem. It grows on all continents, but prefers open places on sandy soils, where it is drier and sunnier: forest edges, dry meadows, clearings, steep river banks.

The compressed polytrichum (P. strictum), perhaps the most elegant of the polytrichums in central Russia, also lives up to its name. Tall, slender, handsome, with a stem up to 20 cm long and short leaves, it looks strict and extremely collected. Its leaves do not bend and do not look in different directions, like other species, but are always directed upward and are almost the same in size, which creates an orderly effect. If you pull out one shoot from a dense clump, you will find that the leaves are present only on the upper half of the stem, and the entire lower half is covered with a dense sheath resembling felt. These are rhizoids that play the role of the root system in mosses and are especially numerous in this species. Polytrichum condensed is found in cold regions of both hemispheres, as well as in highlands, preferring raised bogs.

Now let's talk about names. Latin name“Polytrichum” was obtained by adding two Greek words πολυς - “many” and τριχος - “hair”, which reflects characteristic feature cap, densely covered with fine hairs. According to one version, the Russian name “linen” comes from this same feature, since the hairs resemble linen yarn. According to another version, the slender stem of the plant, covered with dark green leaves, has a general appearance similar to ordinary flax.

Why “kukushkin”? This question is more difficult to answer. It is usually said that a box on a long leg looks like a cuckoo sitting on a pole, although such an explanation requires a good imagination. The author of this article has another version. People often misappropriate inedible or poisonous plants, similar to useful names, correlating them with a particular animal. For example, horse sorrel, horse chestnut, raven eye, wolfberry, thereby emphasizing that they are not for people. It is possible that polytrichum, having become flax, which, however, cannot be used for its intended purpose, turned out to be suitable only for the cuckoo.

Polytrichum has remarkable relatives that can always be found in our forests. This is a close genus of Polytrichastrum, distinguished by the details of the structure of the capsule and the serration of the leaves. Bluish-green Pogonatum, a medium-sized moss with smooth capsules, forming loose tufts or growing as individual plants. And atrichum, at a quick glance at which you cannot say that this plant is related to the others. Its stems are up to 10 cm high. The leaves are soft, lanceolate, without a pronounced base, often wavy, with jagged edges. When wet they are flat and spaced from the stem, while when dry they are strongly curled. Bolls develop frequently. Atrichum grows on soil outcrops in forests, on the slopes of ravines, on root inversions, where it forms extensive coverings.

Walking through the forest on a sunny day, do not forget to look at your feet, where you will see amazing world moss. And be sure to ask the cuckoo what kind of flax it weaves its nests from.

Polytrichum usually grows to 10−15 cm in height. But if the conditions suit it, it can stretch up to 40 cm. For this, moist soils of spruce forests and swampy plains are needed. There is plenty of room for moss here, and it stretches upward because, like other plants, it loves the sun. It aggressively invades more humid places, covering the ground with a cushion where it will be difficult for another species to germinate. This plant especially loves forest clearings and fires. Spreading densely in the forest, it swamps areas and interferes with forest restoration.

Kukushkin flax grows in damp, swampy places

People call this flax “iron ore” for its strength and “red moss” for the color of the stems. It has performed its function of insulating houses flawlessly for decades.

In its structure, it is a phyllostem with primitive root primordia - rhizoids, through which the plant absorbs water and mineral salts. It can also absorb water with its other parts. Lower leaves plants look like scales. The remaining leaves are narrow, with teeth at the ends. Photosynthesis occurs in them - the conversion of light energy into chemical vital energy.

Life cycle and reproduction of cuckoo flax

This type of plant is classified as dioecious. This means that female and male reproductive cells develop on different plants. U male plants the upper leaves are brownish in color. Here male gametes - spermatozoa - are formed. Female plants have all the same leaves. At the same time, at the top of the plant are female gametes - eggs.

Water is required for fertilization. Only during rains or heavy growth do sperm move to the female gametes, and the fusion of the feminine and masculine principles occurs. A zygote is formed - a cell with a double set of chromosomes, capable of giving rise to a new generation.

When colonizing new areas with disturbed soil composition - fires, for example, mosses accumulate moisture. After dying, they give rise to the formation of new soil

From the zygote a new sporophyte plant appears with a sporangium - a box with a lid in which spores mature. When they ripen, the lid opens and the spores spill out. Once in moist soil, the spore germinates and produces buds. New leafy plants emerge from them.

Despite the appearance modern materials for insulation, this type of moss has still not lost its relevance and perfectly performs the function of heat preservation and insulation. Mosses are of great importance in the formation of peat and new soils.

), which are also used for insulation wooden houses, but has the property of hygroscopicity (the ability to absorb and release moisture from the surrounding space), which it shares with bast crops. Due to hygroscopicity, natural ventilation of the grooves is created, the wood inside the log house is not destroyed. While the comparative physicochemical characteristics of flax, hemp and jute have been sufficiently studied, no scientific studies of the composition of moss have been carried out; its use is due to positive centuries-old experience. Usually in wooden house construction Two types of moss are used: sphagnum moss and cuckoo flax.

Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum)

A genus of sphagnum or peat (white) mosses. Includes 320 species; There are 42 species in the USSR. Mainly bog mosses, growing in dense dense clusters forming large cushions or continuous carpets on sphagnum bogs; less often sphagnum. found in humid forests. The erect (10-20 cm high) soft stem with fascicle-shaped branches and single-layer leaves contain a large number of dead aquiferous (hyaline) cells with pores that easily absorb water, which determines the high moisture capacity of sphagnum and contributes to the rapid development of raised bogs in places where these appear. mosses. The stems of sphagnum die off annually in the lower part (the growth of the stem is continued by the apical branches), forming peat. Distributed mainly in the tundra and forest zones of the Northern Hemisphere; in the Southern Hemisphere they are found high in the mountains, less often on the plains of the temperate zone. (Source - TSB)

Sphagnum is a common name for various (primarily in color) types of mosses: “ white moss », « brown moss», « red moss", etc. What is common to all mosses is that living on very moist soils, they accumulate a lot of water in the leaves and in the surface layers of the stems. These tissues consist of cells devoid of plasma content, and the movement of water through them occurs according to the law of capillarity along special elongated cells located above each other. Mosses have no roots, and it is thanks to the aquifer cells that sphagnum leaves have hygroscopic properties, that is, they are able to retain water.

Sphagnum mosses play a major role in the formation and life of swamps. Peat deposits are formed from the dead remains of sphagnum. Sphagnum moss grows at the top of the stem, and its lower part dies off (“peat”). This is how huge deposits of peat are formed over many years. The process of peat formation occurs due to stagnant waterlogging, lack of oxygen and the creation of an acidic environment by mosses. These conditions turn out to be unfavorable for decay processes, which prevents the decomposition of sphagnum. Peat is a valuable raw material for the production of wax, paraffin, ammonia, alcohol, etc. It is used in medicine, in construction industry, as fuel, fertilizers.

Sphagnum moss is used both in folk and scientific medicine as an antiseptic and a dressing material for purulent wounds, as it has the ability to absorb large amounts of moisture, exceeding the properties the best varieties absorbent cotton wool. The bactericidal properties of sphagnum are determined by the presence of a special phenol-like substance in it. sphagnol, which inhibits the growth and vital activity of microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, etc.

In world practice, sphagnum moss is used mainly for growing indoor plants. It is used as a component of the substrate, as a mulch layer and as drainage. Moss does not have nutrients, but it gives the soil the necessary looseness, due to its hygroscopicity, it helps to uniformly moisten the earthen clod, and thanks to sphagnol, it has bactericidal properties and is used to treat and prevent root rotting

In the temperate and cold zones of the northern hemisphere, green mosses grow, among which the forest moss cuckoo flax is widespread.

Kukushkin flax (Polytrichum)

A genus of plants from the class of deciduous mosses. About 100 species, more than 10 in the USSR, in the mountains, forests, swamps and tundra. Most often, cuckoo flax is called the species Polytrichum commune, common in swampy taiga forests. Grows in large cushion-shaped sods. The stem, densely covered with leaves with assimilation plates on the upper side of the leaf, reaches a height of 40 cm. It sporulates abundantly. The spore capsule is on a long stalk and has a different structure than that of other deciduous mosses; on top it is closed by an easily falling cap with thin, downward-pointing hairs, reminiscent of linen yarn (hence the name). The ability to form turf and the structure of the leaves determine the surface accumulation of moisture and lead to waterlogging. (Source - TSB).

It owes its name to its external resemblance to flax, which is in the “herringbone” stage (young flax sprouts). This moss forms loose turf on hummocks in damp coniferous forests, on stumps, around tree trunks. Cuckoo flax has green leaves, while sphagnum flax has light green leaves. Another difference from sphagnum is the presence of rhizoids, hairs that play the functions of roots: anchoring in the substrate, extracting water and nutrients. Kukushkin flax is stiffer, its long fibers look like Christmas tree branches. Its moisture capacity is less than that of sphagnum. Water infusion moss in folk medicine It is used internally for coughs, and a decoction of moss is used to wash the hair in case of hair loss.

In areas where sphagnum moss does not grow, cuckoo flax moss is usually used for laying between the crowns.