Rowan leaf: shape, description, structure and photo. What does a rowan leaf look like in summer and autumn? Timing of rowan flowering Rowan mahogany tree or shrub
Rowan is perhaps one of the most common trees in Russia. We can know with confidence that every resident of our country knows exactly what rowan looks like. Older generations remember with pleasure the taste of sour berries, which become sweeter in the cold - a small piece of childhood that remains with a person for life.
This plant can grow almost anywhere. This is explained by its unpretentiousness and endurance. That is why it is most often chosen for decorating a personal plot. Rowan can become really important element of landscape design country house. Its advantages lie not only in its endurance, as mentioned above. The appearance of the rowan tree is pleasing to the eye and attracts attention, which can look advantageous against the background of monotonous decorative and complex decorations.
This short article, as one can already understand from the previous paragraphs, will be entirely devoted to rowan. This famous plant is of particular interest not only to specialists in the field of botany, but also to the average reader, who is drawn to interesting information about everything at once.
Rowan - description. Characteristics of rowan
To begin with, it’s worth simply describing the rowan, and also answering a very common question that relates to this plant. Many users on the network ask the question “Is rowan a shrub or a tree?” If you think about it, this question is very logical, if you take a closer look at the mountain ash, you really won’t immediately understand whether it is a bush or a tree, its structure fits both criteria, so it can be either a bush or a tree.
Finding the answer to this question is quite easy. You just need to enter “Rowan ash” into the search engine, and all the information about it will be posted in the first paragraph of the article on this comprehensive resource. The fact is that this plant itself is a tree, but at the same time There are also shrub varieties. The tree family is Rosaceae, the root system is well developed, reaches 2 meters in depth and spreads to 5 meters in diameter, the type of fruit is spherical, the height of the tree usually reaches 6-15 meters. Rowan looks like a not very tall tree with a straight trunk, as well as a crown, the shape of which can be described as ovoid.
Rowan trees are distinguished by their smooth bark and grayish color. . Leaves can be of different shapes: oblong-lacental or simply oblong, alternate, also called imparipinnate. This plant is indeed a very beautiful tree, which determines its popularity as an ornamental plant. The old leaves of this shrub are not pubescent, unlike the young ones.
Rowan is especially beautiful during its flowering period, when it begins to bloom, and also looks very pretty in the fall. The flowers are collected in a kind of panicle and can be white or have a pinkish tint. The smell of rowan flowers, however, is not particularly pleasant. This is a plant bears fruit annually, but one should not naively believe that the “harvest” can be collected within the specified time frame. Approximately once every three years the plant produces a full “harvest”.
The rowan tree usually blooms in late spring or early summer. Wherein fruit development begins in autumn in September. Gradually, they turn from white berries into red or black fruits. Of course, the berries of the rowan tree may not be on a par with the berries of cherries or grapes when comparing their taste, but in terms of usefulness they can easily compete with them.
Some growing features
When planting any plant, you should first learn about the peculiarities of its cultivation. This will avoid possible subsequent death of the plant as a result of improper care.
- In the case of rowan, you don’t have to worry when planting it. As already mentioned above in this article, this plant is very, very hardy and unpretentious, and feels quite comfortable in almost any soil. Also, do not forget about another important quality of this plant - frost resistance. This ability allows the mountain ash to withstand even the harshest winters quite calmly. In addition, the plant can boast of resistance even to high temperatures.
- This plant is ideal for lovers of beautiful landscapes who prefer to put a lot of effort into caring for plants, as it practically does not require constant, regular watering. True, in the summer it is recommended to periodically moisten the soil under the rowan tree. Also, thanks to its strong and developed root system, the plant will not fall before strong gusts of wind. It should also be noted that the plant is resistant to heavily polluted city air.
The value of rowan as an ornamental plant
It was already said above that rowan is often used by landscape designers as an ornamental plant. Moreover, both rowan trees and shrubs are used. Popularity of rowan used for decoration is due to a number of reasons. First of all, you should definitely point out the beauty of the crown of a rowan tree or shrub, which stands out for its density and compactness. Of course, plants with a “weeping” crown shape are most often used.
It is also worth noting the beauty of rowan leaves, which are distinguished by their unusual shape. In addition, in the fall the leaves become orange-reddish tint. In addition, bright rowan berries, which are able to retain their beautiful color even until late winter, are also very good for rowan leaves for autumn herbarium.
Types of mountain ash
Many people don't even know that there are different types of mountain ash. Most often you can come across rowan species with red berries, but there are also aronia varieties mountain ash (photo), which are highlighted as a separate species. It is worth noting that the fruits of both types, both red and black, have medicinal properties. The most common type of this plant is the mountain ash. There are more than forty varieties in total.
Serious work on the selection of mountain ash species was carried out by the famous Russian scientist Michurin. The scientist has developed several new hybrids of this plant. It was thanks to his research that chokeberry, which has already been mentioned in this article. In principle, it is very similar to the ordinary rowan species, but it does not belong to this species. In fact, this is a separate hybrid plant that has its own name - chokeberry.
Medicinal properties
The fruits of the mountain ash have long been used by people as a folk medicine. Rowan berries contain various vitamins, as well as glucose, fructose and sorbic acid. All these components very beneficial to the body, especially weakened by illness.
- It is necessary to identify some ailments for which decoctions of healthy rowan berries are sometimes used. It is recommended to drink such decoctions for hypertensive patients and people suffering from atherosclerosis. Also, this folk remedy can help with disorders of the heart, kidneys and liver. Rowan juice can be used in cases where a person has gastritis, hemorrhoids or low acidity. One of the useful components of the fruits of this plant - sorbic acid - can become a serious assistant in the fight against dysentery bacillus and staphylococcus.
- The berries of the plant are sometimes used as a food preservative and also for water purification. Our ancestors even had a certain way of purifying water - at night they simply threw a branch of this plant into a bucket of water. This method not only allowed the water to remain fresh for a long time, but also imparted a pleasant taste.
The meaning of rowan in ancient rituals
The importance of mountain ash was noted in ancient times. Cases of using the plant as a decorative ornament and medicine have already been indicated above, but even in pre-Christian Rus', in some regions, people used rowan for certain rituals. For example, there were wedding ceremonies, which involved laying rowan leaves on the shoes of the newlyweds, and also placing rowan berries in their pockets.
The specified plant in this case used as a symbol of protection against the possible machinations of witches and sorcerers. Rowan trees were also planted next to the house for the same purpose. Rowan was also used to drive out spirits that brought various diseases and illnesses to people.
In addition, the value and significance of rowan among the people is emphasized by the existence various legends, which were passed down from mouth to mouth for more than one generation. For example, you can point out an interesting and original legend that tries to explain the presence of bitterness in the taste of rowan fruits. According to this legend, the rowan tree was created by the devil himself from the tears of Eve when she was expelled from paradise.
It was believed that this served as a kind of symbol of Satan's victory over humanity. But after the Creator discovered the similarity of the leaves of the rowan tree with the cross, he took it from the devil's garden. This could not please the devil, who subsequently set out to destroy his own creation so that it would not go to the Creator and people. But he failed to do this, only as a result of trying the berries of the rowan tree have become bitter.
The decorative and medicinal properties of rowan, which have already been discussed in this article, are not the only advantages of this beautiful plant. The qualities and properties of the wood of this tree make it possible to make various joinery products from it. Here it is necessary to mention the main advantages of rowan wood-strength and elasticity.
As already mentioned, there are quite a few different varieties of this plant, but one of them can boast of quite large fruits. Large-fruited rowan berries are really large compared to the fruits of other varieties of this plant. One berry can weigh twenty grams and have a diameter of three and a half centimeters. The fruits of large-fruited rowan are very tasty. At the same time, this variety is not as unpretentious as other types of mountain ash. She doesn't really like winter, so she needs special care. An interesting fact about large-fruited rowan is that it was bred in Crimea by the Crimean Tatars.
Rowan with sweet fruits instead of bitter ones, it was first found in the village of Nevezhino, Vladimir region. From there it spread throughout Russia. It was this variety with sweet fruits, called nevezhensky, that at the beginning of the twentieth century was used for the mass production of tincture, which was called “Nezhinskaya”.
Rowan picture
Rowan is an owl. She gets up in the summer at about 10. She reaches her peak of activity at 12-16 hours, and falls asleep around two in the morning.
It is one of the 12 sacred trees of Scandinavia. This beauty is actually a warrior tree, capable of giving a very tough rebuff to the influence of evil. According to some beliefs, she is a distant ancestor of the first sacred tree of good on Earth, which dried up when the forces of evil came to our planet. Many ancient legends say that rowan is the fruit of true love.
According to one legend, a wife turned to her, at whose feet her beloved husband died. Evil people wanted to separate them, but they could not achieve this either with the help of gold, or with the help of power and weapons, or even with the help of death. Their life was wonderful, and their death was also wonderful. Having kissed her husband for the last time, the faithful wife cried out to the Lord to protect her from the power of the murderers, and at that very moment she became a mountain ash on his grave. Its fruits became red like blood shed in the name of love.
Evil always hates love, since love is a divine feeling, not subject to any spells or witchcraft, and a man and a woman who sincerely love each other become one, like the Creator, and emerge from the power of the evil forces of our planet.
Rowan stores the bitter fire of love in its berries. This tree can ignite the flame of a true sense of selflessness in the hearts of people.
Since the rowan is a warrior tree, it also protects true love from misfortunes and troubles. Its ripe bunches were and are used as amulets against the dirty deeds of others during a wedding and as a talisman of family happiness in the house. To do this, small rowan branches (always with ripe, bright fruits) are simply placed on the window.
As long as the berries are red, the branch will not lose its strength - no misfortune that can separate loving hearts will enter the house.
In Western Europe, it was believed that rowan protected against evil spirits. Therefore, a cross made from rowan was often used at home as a protective talisman.
Born from death to continue life in another guise, having conquered death, the rowan tree really protects... but from the energy of the dead world, including from the walking dead, and partly from zombies and their influence.
In Rus' it was used precisely for this. It is now completely forgotten that rowan wine (purely Russian wine) was considered healing, and it was almost never consumed, except in cases of severe loss of strength or depression. Sometimes rowan decoction or rowan branches were used as an additional remedy in the treatment of damage and the evil eye, and nervous diseases. It was believed that the life force of the rowan tree could drive away the ghosts of death from a person and return him to our world. Often, in order to bring a fainted person back to his senses (that is, who has lost a real understanding of reality) and force him to at least go for treatment (which can actually be very, very difficult to do), a rowan cross was placed under his bed at night. Anyone can make such a cross themselves.
To do this, at noon in September, when the Sun goes through the sign of Virgo (from 1.09 - 22.09), they cut off two rowan branches with berries. The berries were then placed on the window as a talisman or used for food, and two branches of equal length were crossed and tied tightly in the middle with red threads. Then the “Our Father” was read over this cross three times, a drop of church candle wax was dropped onto the intersection of the threads, it was dipped into holy water three times and passed over the candle flame three times and was ready for use. This cross can also be placed under the bed to ward off bad thoughts or dreams (but for no more than 21 days in a row), hung in the house as a talisman against the forces of the dead kingdom, etc.
The energy of rowan is quite hard, it contains certain radiations close to X-rays, which pierce right through our body. Therefore, many, being under the mountain ash, feel uncomfortable. Rowan cleanses our body of accumulated dirt and toxins, forcing us to expel excess salts, poisons and putrefactive products with sweat and waste. First of all, rowan cleanses our intestines and blood. People who have accumulated a lot of dirt inside them will feel unwell at the first moment after the influence of this tree; their temperature may even rise or their blood pressure may jump. Although later, when the body is cleansed, strength and health will come. Therefore, it is better to start communicating with mountain ash for 5-10 minutes and gradually increase it to an hour. It is better not to stay under her for more than an hour - you will clearly feel an excess of her energy, which can lead to a headache or a nervous breakdown. Communication with this tree is standard. Its energy affects us most harmoniously if we stand with our backs leaning against it, with our spine straightened. This position allows the mountain ash not only to cleanse us, but also to tear away from us the energetic attachments that extend from other people and interfere with our personal happiness.
Since ancient times, rowan wood has been used only as decorations, crafts, and for magical purposes. It is almost never used in industry and finishing. You will not experience much delight under the constant influence of the heavy and harsh energy of rowan wood. It is like rowan wine - slightly intoxicating, healing and bitter at the same time. Therefore, what is good for medicinal purposes in small doses can become poisonous with increasing doses.
Rowan is the most magical plant. It is believed that it develops sensitivity and the gift of foresight. Its wood has a unique quality - it can dampen inertia, which is why handles for sledgehammers are made from it. The tree itself has unusually strong energy and controls the entire forest. In the past, rowan groves grew in sacred places of the sanctuaries of the ancient gods, since rowan provided magical protection.
Bunches of rowan are hung at the entrance to the cattle pen and at the door lintel, or planted at the gate to protect against the evil eye and damage; powder from its fruits is added to flour
For a long time, the sick were taken out under the rowan tree, since the strong astral energy of the tree healed all diseases.
Rowan berries save you from burning. They are given to the patient to chew, as rowan increases resistance to oxygen starvation.
Some healers and healers strongly recommend planting rowan trees near the entrance gate of the house.
It is also good to use rowan as a protective agent for livestock. To do this, it is enough to hang bunches of rowan berries on poles at the entrance to livestock pens or place them on the ceiling beams.
It is believed that in this case, not a single slander can harm domestic animals, and the animals themselves will get sick less often and reproduce better.
Many magicians use rowan for predictive purposes, using rowan as an incense to help establish closer contact with spirits.
Constantly carrying rowan berries with you helps you learn to control your feelings. The person becomes calmer and more reasonable.
The magical properties of mountain ash are capable of transforming the consciousness of an angry person, directing it not to the expression of anger, but to its sublimation.
The fact is that anger is just energy, a person gives this energy one color or another. It is like fire, and fire can both burn and warm. Therefore, the properties of mountain ash are manifested in the fact that they help a person to “recolor” a person’s energy flows into “softer” tones, and then aggression (energy of movement) finds a way out not in a burst of uncontrollable anger, but for more peaceful and creative purposes.
In a house in which at least one family member has a restless character and often shows outbursts of anger for any reason, it is imperative to keep rowan branches in the rooms.
Rowan beads are considered the strongest remedy against any foreign witchcraft. Rowan was also used to protect small children and infants from the evil eye and damage. For this purpose, the Chuvash put a necklace made of rowan on the child. Rowan is considered a very powerful remedy against the dead, ghouls, werewolves and zombies. In Danaan Ireland, a rowan stake was driven into a corpse to prevent it from coming to life.
If you cover a person with rowan branches (there must be leaves and berries on the branches), give half a liter of infusion of rowan berries (hot) to drink, then after three hours the person will be removed from moderate damage. Throw away the branches after this procedure.
The esoteric teaching of trees connects the runes Nautiz and Algiz with rowan. Protective runes were usually carved into rowan wood, since rowan was known for its ability to protect against witchcraft. It was believed that rowan could protect from the evil eye and damage, from evil will. Rowan was associated with such skills as the ability to control one’s feelings and protect oneself from other people’s spells.
Rowan is the best ally for women who find true pleasure in the physical side of love. Direct contact with rowan can awaken the sexuality dormant in a woman.
For mountain ash, the favorite female age is about 40 years. She gives such women a particularly warm autumn in love, full of strength. Rowan is considered a female tree. It is women who she first of all takes under her protection. Rowan fruits were traditionally included in love potions. They sought help from the mountain ash for infertility, female diseases, and frigidity. Some peoples placed rowan berries or branches in the beds of newlyweds. Rowan helped to overcome unrequited love and control one’s feelings.
Among many peoples, magicians, oracles and predictors preferred to settle or conduct rituals in rowan groves, the cutting down of which was strictly forbidden. It was allowed to cut large branches of rowan trees only to make staves for clergy and wanderers setting off on long journeys. And small branches with flowers or fruits are used to decorate homes and carry out ritual activities. Rowan trees were often planted around sanctuaries and temples. It was believed that this was a godly plant that promoted communication with higher powers and predictions. Healers often use rowan for healing purposes, in particular for dental treatment. This practice was very popular among many Slavic peoples.
In Ancient Rus', if you were overcome by toothache, you went to the rowan tree, bowed to it three times to the ground and said:
Rowan, rowan,
Take my toothache
And I won’t eat you for this forever.
After this, they bowed again three times, kissed the tree trunk and touched it with their teeth three times.
Some magicians used rowan branches in search of metal deposits, and often to search for buried treasures or treasures of wondrous peoples - gnomes, elves, goblins and so on.
In the old folk calendar there is even a special day dedicated to this tree - “Peter-Paul Fieldfare”, which falls at the end of September.
In folk medicine, rowan is used as a hemostatic, antiscorbutic, choleretic, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, for vitamin deficiency, rheumatic pain, and to increase the body's protective properties. Its berries are most often used, but flowers, buds, foliage, and bark are also used.
For medicinal purposes, rowan fruits and berries can be used without special treatment. Fresh or dried berries are used for vitamin deficiency, to increase the body's protective properties and stimulate appetite. For this you can use juice, syrup, infusions and decoctions of rowan berries. Use diluted juice of rowan berries to gargle for colds. Unripe rowan berries, which have a pronounced astringent effect, are used as an antidiarrheal agent.
Fresh juice, 1-2 teaspoons, is taken 30 minutes before meals for gastritis with low acidity. It is worth considering that the juice is an effective natural choleretic and decongestant, helping to remove harmful substances from the body. Fresh berries or juice prevent gas formation and fermentation processes in the intestines. As an adjuvant, juice can be used in the treatment of hypertension (moderately reduces blood pressure) and atherosclerosis, to lower blood cholesterol levels. To do this, take it one tablespoon 30 minutes before meals.
To treat eczema and fungal diseases, a paste of crushed fruits or leaves is used. To do this, they are bandaged to the affected areas for 1-1.5 days, after which the skin is allowed to dry and a fresh bandage is applied. Usually, after 5-7 days of treatment, a daily break is taken, when the affected area is lubricated with sea buckthorn oil. In folk medicine, infusions, decoctions, and syrups of rowan are widely used. It is worth considering that rowan preparations are not recommended to be given to small children and taken during pregnancy.
To obtain infusions, you usually take 20-25 grams of crushed dry berries (1.5 times more fresh ones) per 250 ml. boiling water Infuse in a thermos or thick-walled container for at least 4 hours. Drink 100 grams before meals for heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, hemorrhoids, bleeding, atherosclerosis, vitamin deficiency, anemia, gastritis with low acidity, as a diuretic.
A decoction can also be used for similar purposes; its advantage is a longer shelf life. To prepare the decoction, the same ratio of rowan fruits and water is used, but the mixture is kept at boiling level in a water bath for 10-15 minutes, then infused for at least 10 hours. The principle of use is the same as that of infusions. To treat coughs, colds, female diseases, hemorrhoids, a decoction is made from rowan flowers, which are taken in 2 times less than berries, otherwise the principle of production and use is similar to the previous one. The decoction is taken orally before meals to weaken senile sclerosis.
Rowanberry syrup is used to treat a number of diseases. To prepare it, 1 kg of berries are ground with 600 grams of sugar, left in a dark place for 3 weeks, filtered and squeezed out the resulting mixture. The syrup can be used in its pure form. But sometimes 20 ml of alcohol or 40 ml of vodka are added to it. Drink 1-2 tablespoons in the morning on an empty stomach for vitamin deficiency, treatment of rheumatism, polyarthritis, diseases of the stomach, kidneys, and bladder. There is evidence that syrup helps remove stones.
Men will certainly remember that this berry allows you to combine business with pleasure if you take a shot of rowan in cognac before eating.
Harvesting rowan for medicinal and food purposes is not particularly difficult. Flowers, buds, leaves and bark of rowan are dried in a well-ventilated place or in an oven at a temperature of 70-80°C. Berries can be dried, frozen, made into syrup or juice, or pasteurized. The berry, ground with sugar or honey, is well stored in a cool place. When picking berries, it is advisable to leave some of the fruits on the trees, since in winter they serve as food for many birds.
Late autumn and the period of the first frosts are a good time to collect red rowan berries. In winter, it will delight you with delicious aromatic tea, help improve your health, and simply decorate the room if dried branches with clusters of berries are placed in a vase.
Rowan is used:
fortune telling, predictions;
to protect newlyweds from the machinations of sorcerers and witches;
protecting livestock from evil machinations;
protection from ghouls, werewolves, undead and zombies;
protecting the child from the evil eye and damage;
correction of negative character traits;
controlling your feelings;
dental treatment;
protecting the wedding from evil spirits;
searching for metal deposits;
maintaining the health of pets;
increase in livestock offspring.
| Life form: | Tree or shrub |
| Dimensions (height), m: | 6-15 |
| Crown diameter, m: | 4-6 |
| Crown shape: | Ovoid. The bark is gray, smooth, the branches are dark brown |
| Growth pattern: | Grows fast |
| Annual height gain: | 40 cm |
| Annual increase in width: | 30 cm |
| Durability: | Durable 70-100 years |
| Leaf Shape: | Up to 20 cm in length, consist of 9-15 leaflets up to 5 cm in length and up to 1.5 cm in width |
| Summer coloring: | Green |
| Autumn color: | Yellow, orange, red |
| Flowers (color): | White, fragrant, collected in corymbose inflorescences up to 15 cm in diameter |
| Beginning and end of flowering: | Late May early June |
| Fruit: | The fruits are edible, spherical, bright red or orange, up to 0.8 cm in diameter, ripen in September, remain on the branches for a long time |
| Decorative: | It is especially beautiful during flowering and fruiting; the autumn color of the foliage is also decorative. |
| Application: | Single plantings, groups, alleys |
| Relation to light: | Shade-tolerant, but blooms and bears fruit better in sunny places |
| Relation to moisture: | Does not tolerate waterlogging and drought |
| Relation to soil: | Undemanding, but does not tolerate salinity |
| Frost resistance: | Frost-resistant |
| Note: | Smoke and gas resistant |
Common mountain ash - Sorbus aucuparia
A small tree (up to 15 m) or a large shrub with alternate, odd-pinnate leaves, dark green above, bare, lighter below, pubescent. Tree with an oval crown, gray smooth bark. The branches are pinkish-gray. Annual shoots are bare or pubescent with lenticels. Flowers up to 1 cm, in large corymbs. The fruits are orange-red, spherical, remain on the branches for a long time, greatly decorating the walnut tree. The common mountain ash is frost-resistant, tolerates slight shading, and is undemanding to the soil, but develops better in loose soil. Avoids swamps. Common rowan has many decorative forms: the shape of the crown, the color and taste of the fruit, the color of the leaves, which can be successfully used in green construction. The typical form, its hybrids and varieties are decorative throughout the growing season. The common rowan is very beautiful in solitary and group plantings, edges, and alleys throughout Russia.
The leaves are imparipinnately compound with 11-15 leaflets, oblong-lanceolate in outline, 10-20 cm long. The leaves are 3-5 cm long, sharp, serrate, glabrous or pubescent, matte above, light green below.
The inflorescence is corymbose, 5-10 cm wide. Sepals and pedicels are bare or pubescent. The flowers are about 1 cm in diameter, white, with rounded petals, about 5 mm in diameter, densely pubescent on top. There are usually 20 stamens. Columns from 2 to 5 (usually 3), free and pubescent at the base. blooms in May.
The fruits are spherical, red, about 1 cm in diameter. They ripen in August-September.
Distributed in the forest zone of Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and North Africa. It grows poorly on damp peaty boggy and saline soils. It grows better on loamy soils than on sandy soils. In some places, usually near the nesting grounds of field thrushes, mountain ash forms numerous populations that exist sustainably due to the regular supply of seeds. In shading conditions, rowan is also capable of vegetative propagation by shoots, root shoots and rooting of creeping shoots. In forest clearings, clearings and edges, rowan also regenerates well, begins to bear fruit earlier (at the age of 5 years), has a longer life expectancy (up to 50-80 years) and larger fruits. Of all the flowers on the tree, approximately one third forms fruit. In addition, during the development of fruits, a significant part of them falls off before final ripening. Rowan is characterized by cross-pollination with the help of insects, and in some cases self-pollination occurs. There are known cases of the formation of seedless fruits. Rowan has long been used as a fruit and medicinal plant: its fruits are rich in sugars, organic acids, vitamins, etc. It is successfully cultivated. Strong wood is used in turning and furniture production. Rowan is planted in cities due to its resistance to smoke and gases. It is used to create forest belts for various purposes.
Admiring the curly crown of the beautiful mountain ash, many do not even suspect that in nature there are 84 species of this plant, supplemented by a considerable number of hybrid forms. Rowan has settled throughout the Northern Hemisphere, mastering it. 34 species grow in the Russian expanses, some of which have been cultivated and used as ornamental shrubs.
The species differ significantly from each other. The color of the berries and bark, rowan leaf and other characteristics are different for each variety. There are very few real mountain ash trees in forests; they are rare. Basically, people are pleased with the unique beauty of rowan undergrowth - miniature deciduous trees 3-6 meters high. The most common and famous species of shrub trees is recognized
What are rowan leaves: complex or simple?
The length of the odd-pinnate leaves reaches 10-20 centimeters. The long thin reddish petiole is studded with 7-15 practically sessile broadly lanceolate or elongated, pointed, jagged along the edge, miniature leaves (3-5 cm long), entire at the lower end and sharply serrate at the apex.
Rowan foliage in spring and summer
In spring, thick down is clearly visible on the leaves. They are covered with hairs both above and below. By summer, the hairs will fall off, the delicate fluff will disappear, exposing the surface, just as happens in other trees, for example, in aspen. The fluff of hairs prevents the rapid evaporation of the liquid that saturates young, fragile leaf blades.
Summer leaves, usually matte, leathery and rough, colored on top in dull green tones, have a felt gray bottom that glows with pale bluish shades, almost close to a white-silver color.
Rowan leaves in autumn
Green in summer, rowan leaves go through three stages of coloring in autumn. Yellow at first, they gradually acquire shades of orange (from light to intense). And in the end they are painted in a crimson color palette. The autumn crown of the plant glows with golden, orange and terracotta tones.
The foliage, which has outlived its usefulness, begins to fall. But rowan does not lose entire leaves (unlike many other trees and shrubs). The constituent parts fall off one by one from the pinnate leaf. It, losing miniature leaves one after another, seems to fall apart into separate parts.
The petiole of a huge leaf is gradually becoming exposed. And only when completely exposed does the main brick-red vein part with the plant, flying away from it last.
Foliage of unusual rowan trees
When they talk about the grace of a tree, the charm of its clusters and the extraordinary openwork of its crowns, they usually mean the common rowan. However, the world is replete with other luxurious types of mountain ash, although they are much less common.
Species of whole-leaved mountain ash have unique biological characteristics that make their decorative properties very attractive. The beauty of their solid, often pubescent leaves deserves special attention.
Rowan Aria
An unusual whole-leaved tree dotted Western European sparse forests. It, rising 10-12 m high, spreads its luxurious crown 6-8 m wide.
The shape of the Aria rowan leaf is similar to those sprinkled on alder branches. It is solid, rounded-elliptical, leathery, with a pointed or blunt tip, sharply double-serrated at the edges, reaches a size of 14 x 9 cm. Its top is juicy green in the summer, and the bottom is white-felt, grayish, as if powdered with flour.
Therefore, in Russian it is called mealy rowan. The tree, glittering with silver foliage, shimmering in the breeze, contrasts effectively against the motley background formed by the surrounding plants.
I wonder then, what color rowan leaves are in the fall? Aria's autumn foliage is colored in a special way. With the onset of autumn, its immense crown shines with chic bronze shades.
Intermediate rowan
This species, often called Swedish rowan, is represented by single slender trees 10-15 meters high, growing wild in Central European, Baltic and Scandinavian forests. A single leaf of rowan, the photo of which was photographed by professionals and amateurs, is very thin.
On top in summer it is dark green, below it is covered with gray hairs, in autumn it has reddish tints. The shape of the shallow-lobed, on average twelve-centimeter whole leaves is oblong-ovate. Decorative silver foliage forms an original oval crown around a smooth grayish trunk.
Rowan elderberry
Shrubs and independent thickets of elderberry rowan scattered throughout the undergrowth have settled in the vast expanses of the Khabarovsk Territory, Kamchatka and Sakhalin. They captured the Okhotsk coast, the Kuril Islands and penetrated Japan. Shrub trees are distinguished by their relatively low height (up to two and a half meters), straight, bare dark-brown shoots with a bluish coating, and a rounded-ovoid sparse crown.
On gray branches with clearly defined lenticels, odd-pinnate 18-centimeter leaves were concentrated. The terracotta-colored petioles are studded with oval-lanceolate, sharply serrated leaves, almost naked, glossy dark green. Their number varies from 7 to 15.
Rowan Köhne and Vilmorena
These original straight-trunked trees are representatives of the Chinese flora. For their habitat, they chose forests covering temperate and warm zones in Central China. Vilmorena differs from Koehne by its greater height (the first is up to 6 m, the second - up to 3 m) and the decorativeness of the crown.
The crowns of plants are strewn with odd-pinnate leaves. 12-25 leaves fit on 20-centimeter petioles, the edges of which are sharply serrated from tip to base. The seasonal rhythm of these plants is very close. Rowan berries are colored purple, red-violet.
Rowan foliage Glogovina
Medicinal bereka (the second name of the plant) can be found in the Caucasus and Crimea. It captured part of the Ukrainian lands, those that stretched across the southwest of the country. Its natural range extends across Western Europe and Asia Minor. Every now and then you come across single trees and compact groups in undergrowth and bush thickets, in the second tier of forests and on sunny slopes.
Slender 25-meter rowan trees are covered with rounded crowns. The offspring shimmer with olive shades. Relict trees are dark gray, furrowed with cracks. Having a long (up to 17 centimeters) blade, the rowan leaf is simple, broadly ovate.
The plate is rounded-heart-shaped at the base, and its tip is pointed. It has fine-toothed edges and is equipped with 3-5 sharp blades. Its top is glossy, dark green, and its bottom is hairy and pubescent. The autumn palette of leaf blades varies from yellow to orange.
There are two varieties of Glogovina: pinnately dissected and with pubescent foliage. Both form magnificent solo, group and alley plantings.
Rowan alder
Primorye, Japan, Korea and China were affected by scattered and clustered trees with narrow pyramidal crowns of alder ash. They scattered throughout the broadleaf and cedar forests. Straight, shiny dark brown trunks, reaching into the sky, reach a height of 18 meters.
The distinctive features of the leaves are simple, broadly oval, sharply jagged shapes, clearly defined venation, and the length of a dense leaf blade not exceeding 10 cm. Their outlines are similar to alder leaves. This is where the name of the tree comes from.
The spring light green leaf of rowan has a slightly bronze tint. The summer leaf has a yellowish lower surface and an intense dark green upper surface. Autumn shines with rich bright orange shades. The tree is especially beautiful at the time of spring flowering and autumn leaf fall.
| Mountain ash | |
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| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: |
Plants |
| Department: |
Flowering plants |
| Class: |
Dicotyledons |
| Order: |
Rosaceae |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: |
Plum |
| Tribe: |
Apple |
| Genus: | |
| View: |
Mountain ash |
| International scientific name | |
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Sorbus aucuparia L., 1753 |
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| Species in taxonomic databases | |
Mountain ash(lat. Sorbus aucuparia) is a deciduous tree of the rose family ( Rosaceae).
Description
Botanical illustration from the book by O. V. Tome Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885
Inflorescence
Inferiority
Fruit trees
Tree 4-15 (sometimes up to 20) m high with an ovoid crown and a superficial root system. Young branches are fluffy, with gray smooth bark, later grayish-white. Leaves are alternate, 10-20 cm long, lanceolate in outline, with 10-15 leaflets; leaflets are 3-5 cm long, 1-15 cm wide, from oblong to oblong-lanceolate, usually entire in the lower part, serrate in the upper part, matte green above, glaucous or grayish below. Young leaves are pubescent at the base, later ones are bare.
Dense corymbose inflorescences are located at the ends of shortened shoots, 5-10 cm in diameter, pubescent, less often glabrous. The flowers are white or pinkish, 8-15 mm in diameter, with an unpleasant trimethylamine odor, reminiscent of horse manure. The calyx is first pubescent, then glabrous, the sepals are ciliated; petals are 4-5 mm long, rounded, pubescent on top. The fruits are almost spherical, about 1 cm (usually no more than 1.5 cm) in diameter, orange-red or bright red, juicy. The seeds are usually 3 in number, narrow-oblong, sharp at the ends, and reddish.
Chemical composition
Sorbic acid glycoside (up to 0.8%) gives bitterness to fruits. At the first frost, the glycoside is destroyed, and the rowan becomes sweeter. When the glycoside breaks down in fruits, the level of sorbic acid increases; such fruits can be stored without any processing. Amygdalin and fatty oil were found in the seeds (up to 22%); in leaves - about 200 mg% ascorbic acid, flavonoids; in flowers - quercitrin and spireoside; in the bark there are tannins.
Spreading
The range covers Western Europe, Asia Minor, the mountains of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and North Africa. In Russia, it is distributed in the European part, Crimea, the Caucasus, the Far East, Kamchatka, Siberia, and the Amur region.
It is often found in all natural and administrative regions of the Saratov Right Bank. In the Rtishchevsky district, it was noted in the green spaces of the city of Rtishchevo, as well as in the plantings of the former nursery of the South-Eastern Railway.
Features of biology and ecology
It grows in the undergrowth of forests of various compositions, often spruce, growing on the edges, clearings and cutting areas, less often among meadows, also in rocky or stony places, along cliffs of river banks.
It grows quickly, growing by 0.5 m in one year.
Blooms in May - June, fruits ripen in September - October; the berries, unless eaten by birds, usually remain on the trees until late winter. It bears fruit annually from 5-7 years of age. A good harvest of rowan is usually observed once every 1-3 years, the largest yield is from 35-40 years. One tree can produce up to 80-100 kg of fruit. With a lack of light, it develops poorly and bears almost no fruit. Propagated by seeds and root suckers. Lives up to 200 years.
Economic importance and application
It has long been used as a fruit and medicinal plant, as well as an ornamental one, having pyramidal and weeping forms.
In medicine
The bark exhibits antibacterial activity. A decoction of it is used for hypertension. Branches in folk medicine - for rheumatism.
Infusion and decoction of flowers are used for diseases of the liver, kidneys and urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, metabolic disorders, hemorrhoids, colds, coughs. Used in gynecology. In addition, the decoction is used for goiter. An infusion of flowers and fruits is used as a diaphoretic for colds.
A decoction of leaves and fruits is used in folk medicine for scurvy, general weakness (after serious illnesses, operations), and vitamin deficiencies.
The fruits are allowed in medical practice for hypovitaminosis. In India they are used for scurvy, hemorrhoids, and liver diseases. In folk medicine as a diuretic, laxative, hemostatic, vitamin, contraceptive, antidysenteric; for dysmenorrhea, malignant tumors. Infusion (orally) - for gastritis with low acidity of gastric juice, hemorrhoids, kidney disease, liver disease, atherosclerosis, bleeding; decoction (inside) - for hypovitaminosis, general weakness. In Western European countries - for liver diseases, kidney diseases, ascites, diarrhea, rheumatism, metabolic disorders, hypovitaminosis, whooping cough, throat diseases, glaucoma; externally - as a wound healing agent. Juice - for anemia, asthenia, gout, hemorrhoids, malignant tumors, low acidity of gastric juice, gastritis, hypertension, vitamin deficiency, glaucoma, whooping cough, dysmenorrhea, liver and kidney diseases, ascites, atherosclerosis. Syrup - for rheumatism, kidney stones, bladder stones, salt metabolism disorders.
Rowan fruits are included in vitamin and multivitamin preparations.
In other areas
Rowan honey
Rowan is highly valued as an ornamental plant, and therefore it is often used in garden and park construction. It is also used in forest reclamation, snow protection and windproof plantings.
The wood is suitable for carpentry, turning, furniture making, and for making musical instruments.
The bark colors the tissues in red-brown tones, and the branches black. The leaves give a brown color.
The buds have an insecticidal and raticidal effect. The fruits are used in veterinary medicine - for diarrhea in calves.
It is a good honey plant. Provides bees with a significant amount of nectar and pollen in the spring, during the period of low feeding. Sometimes the flowering of rowan coincides with the onset of temporary cold weather, and then the flowers are not visited by bees. The honey is coarse-grained, has a reddish tint and a strong, unique aroma. The total honey productivity under favorable conditions is about 30-40 kg per 1 hectare of planting.
Forage plant. Fruit yield - up to 2.5 t/ha. Edible in fresh and processed form, used in the confectionery industry. They are used fresh and for making juices, jams, jams, candied fruits, in pureed form along with sea buckthorn and apples. They make filling for sweets, and also make kvass, tincture, rowan vodka and cognac. Dried - a substitute for tea. They can serve as raw materials for the preparation of vitamin preparations. From the fruits you can make sorbitol, which replaces sugar. The fatty oil contained in the seeds is suitable for food and has a pleasant taste.
Cultivated. It is characterized by high cold and drought resistance. In this regard, it is used in breeding work when breeding cold-resistant and drought-resistant varieties of pome fruit plants. There are large-fruited and dessert varieties bred by I.V. Michurin and other breeders.
In the folk calendar there is a Peter-Paul day, which falls at the end of September - the time of ripening of rowan berries. On this day, branches with fruits were tied into bunches and hung under the roofs of houses. This custom is associated with the idea of rowan as a tree that can protect a person from all sorts of troubles. It was widespread not only in Russia, but also in Western Europe and the Baltic states. Rowan branches were used to decorate not only living quarters, but also barns and gates; even rowan branches were stuck at the edge of each field.
In central Russia, rowan was used in wedding ceremonies. Its leaves were placed in the shoes of newlyweds, the fruits were hidden in the pockets of their clothes - all this for protection from sorcerers and witches. In addition, rowan is a symbol and guarantee of happiness and peace in the family, so they tried to plant rowan near the house.
Literature
- Glukhov M. M. Honey plants. Ed. 7th, revised and additional - M.: Kolos, 1974. - S. 203-204
- Trees and shrubs of the USSR. Wild, cultivated and prospects for introduction / Ed. in 6 volumes. T. III. Angiosperms: family Trochodendronaceae - Rosaceae. - M., Leningrad: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1954. - P. 465-466
- Elenevsky A. G., Radygina V. I., Bulany Yu. I. Plants of the Saratov Right Bank (flora summary). - Saratov: Publishing house Sarat. pedin-ta, 2000. - ISBN 5-87077-047-5. - P. 38
- Universal Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants / Comp. I. Putyrsky, V. Prokhorov. - Mn.: Book House; M.: Makhaon, 2000. - P. 250-252
- Flora of central Russia: Atlas-determinant / Kiseleva K.V., Mayorov S.R., Novikov V.S. Ed. prof. V. S. Novikova. - M.: Fiton+ CJSC, 2010. - P. 302
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