Всем известна рябина обыкновенная – дерево, без which is hard to imagine a front garden at the house, a shady corner of the park, an alley on the city boulevard. However, the life of rowan, along with the features of its growth, as well as the beneficial and medicinal properties of this plant for many remain the secret.
The first word in the Latin name of mountain ashordinary - Sorbus aucuparia - means "bird". However, in our language this is another botanical species. Therefore, to avoid confusion, the Russian name of this plant is not a literal translation of the Latin.
Vonega, godwels, spine, sparrow, yudic,pea, hazel - so popularly in different areas called mountain ash. This tree has been known since ancient times. It was mentioned in the works of ancient scholars, in particular Virgil and Pliny. Its fruits are edible and have been eaten in the past.
Rowan represents a bush or lowtree height from four to fifteen meters. The bark of its trunk, as a rule, is brown-gray in color (in young shoots it is light gray). The leaves are of a pinnate form, in length they reach twenty centimeters. Separate plates that make up a complex sheet, oblong and have sharp teeth at the edges.
Соцветия рябины – небольшие щитки (до десяти centimeters in diameter), the flowers are white. The fruits are round, up to one and a half centimeters in diameter, bitter or tart in taste. Usually they are bright red, but sometimes the color may be yellowish or orange. They ripen, depending on the place of growth of mountain ash, mostly from September to October (less often - November).
Rowan refers to frost-resistant plants. It is widespread in northern Europe and Asia. It is known that places where mountain ash grows are sometimes found even beyond the Arctic Circle.
In the wild, these trees tend to growsingly or in small groups. Favorite habitats - the slopes of ravines, meadows and forest edges. Rowan tree prefers sod-podzolic and medium loamy soils. On poor and sandy soils, it grows poorly. Science has also proved that the life of mountain ash is longer with high humidity.
In large numbers, mountain ash is growing inBelarus, Ukraine (Galicia, Polesie), as well as in the European part of Russia. In the Baltic States, the Scandinavian countries, the Far East and Siberia there are other species of this plant.
During germination the cotyledons are brought to the surface. They usually live from fifty to eighty days. Rowan begins to grow earlier than an apple or pear tree, but it blooms a week later than they do.
В первый год жизни всходы рябины развиваются slowly, and from the second or third year shoots begin to grow rapidly. In young trees, the crown is often pyramidal in shape, which later changes to rounded under the weight of foliage and fruit. In most species of mountain ash, apical growth prevails.
Under the forest canopy, the life of rowan is reduced. It is best to grow and fruitfully abundantly these trees in well-lit areas with moderate humidity.
Compared to other deciduous treesThis plant is not considered long-lived. On average, the life of mountain ash in nature is eighty - one hundred years. Sometimes the age of individual instances reaches a hundred - hundred and fifty, and sometimes even up to two hundred years, but these are exceptional cases.
Only the alder (fifty - seventy years) and the home plum (up to sixty years) live less than the mountain ash.
The fruits of mountain ash are recognized not onlyfolk, but also official medicine. This product has a high level of vitamins (primarily A and C), its diuretic and hemostatic effects are also known.
After the first autumn frosts ripe berriesmountain ash lose bitterness, acquiring a sweetish taste. On the day of Peter and Pavel - "Ryabinnikov," celebrated on September 23, our ancestors harvested medicinal rowan kvass, which was considered an excellent laxative and refreshing agent, and also helped to treat various inflammations. Compotes were made from berries and infusions were made, which were then used to treat colds, atherosclerosis, rheumatism, and heart failure.
Tea made from flowers and berries of mountain ash with the addition of mint is a good remedy for overwork.
Inhabitants of the northern regions and today often eat rowan berries raw, and also dry them, soak and pick them up. From this berry it turns out very tasty jam, marshmallow, marmalade, jelly and jam.
It is also known that fruits and vegetables, which during storage in cellars were shifted with rowan leaves, are stored much longer and better.
Knowing how much mountain ash lives, where it grows and what healing qualities it possesses, you can complete its brief characteristic with some folk signs that have been associated with it since ancient times.
It was believed that the late flowering of mountain ash foreshadowed a long autumn. And if the leaves on this tree turned yellow early, you should wait for early autumn and cold winter.
A swarm of bees buzzing around blossoming mountain ash predicted a clear, fine next day.
When in the forest on these trees saw a big harvest of berries, it was believed that there would be rains in the fall, and in the winter - a lot of snow and cold. If the mountain ash is ugly, it means that the fall is destined to be dry.
If bunches of mountain ash were covered with frost early, they believed that they should prepare for a long winter.
However, scientists note that today, far from all of the above will take effect.
