Bead

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Bead (lat. Tamarix) - a genus of shrubs and small trees of the Tamaricaceae family. Also, the plant is known under the names comb, tamarix, god tree, comb, gidovilnik and jengil. In nature, beads are found in semi-deserts, deserts, steppes, along rivers, along the edges of takyrs in Africa, Southern Europe and Asia. About 15 species are widespread in the tugai forests of Central Asia.

Characteristics of culture

Bead is an evergreen or deciduous shrub, less often a tree 3-12 m high. The trunk reaches 40-50 cm in diameter, sometimes more. The crown is formed from numerous thin, coarse and small branches. Leaves are sessile, alternate, scaly, stem-embracing or semi-stem-embracing, up to 7 mm long, without stipules. The leaves located on the shoots of the first and second years are somewhat different, they are covered with depressions from the salt glands.

The flowers are small, bisexual (the exception is dioecious bead), collected in simple or complex racemose or paniculate inflorescences located on one-year-old branches. Bracts are acute or obtuse, lanceolate, ovoid, subulate or linear in shape, the tips are slightly curved inward, straighter or deviated, may be shorter or longer than the pedicels. The calyx is fleshy or leathery, four or five-part, there are also gray-part, with ovoid, ovate-lanceolate, triangular, oval-rhombic or rounded lobes. Petals are oblong or elliptical, purple, pink, scarlet or white, slightly notched or obtuse at the apex.

The fruit is a polyspermous capsule, 3-5-sided-pyramidal, opens with three valves, several times larger than the calyx in size. The seeds are rather small, up to 0.7 m long, compressed, straight, elongated or obovate, in the upper part are equipped with an awn covered with long whitish hairs.

Growing conditions

Bead is a plant that is not demanding on soil conditions. The culture grows on any soil, it is resistant to saline and lowland areas. Beads develop best on light, sandy, alkaline, well-drained soils. Acidic soils are preliminarily limed. The plant has a negative attitude towards shading, prefers well-lit areas. Does not tolerate cold winds. The beads do not differ in frost resistance, the most common types do not withstand frosts above 20C. To date, varieties have been bred that can easily tolerate frosts down to -50C.

Reproduction and planting

Beads are propagated by seeds, cuttings and offspring. The seed method is ineffective, especially in Russia, since the seeds often do not have time to ripen. Seed germination lasts only 2-4 months. Seeds are sown immediately after collection in pots filled with a nutritious and fertilized mixture, set on a tray with water. In spring, sprouts are planted in open ground.

Most often, beads are propagated by lignified cuttings. It is not recommended to use green cuttings, since they do not have time to become greyish before the onset of stable frosts and subsequently die. Cuttings are harvested in late autumn and stored in a cool room or refrigerator until spring. When the snow cover melts, the cuttings are planted in an inclined position in the ground, deepening so that about 2-3 cm remains on the surface of the earth. As soon as the buds sprout on the cuttings, the extra shoots are pinched.

Care

Despite the fact that the bead is a drought-resistant plant, it needs regular and moderate watering, especially for young shrubs, the roots of which are underdeveloped and not very deep into the soil. Adult specimens are able to withstand 2-3 weeks of drought. With the approach of frost, the soil near the trunk circles is mulched with a thick layer of fallen leaves or peat. When a constant subzero temperature is established, young shoots are bent to the soil surface and covered with spruce branches or any other ecological material. Old branches also require insulation. With the onset of spring, frozen, diseased and broken branches are cut off, forming a beautiful crown.

Application

Bead is used as an ornamental plant in single and group plantings, as well as when creating a hedge. The culture is used to fix the moving sands. In China, beads are a good "building" material for a windbreak green wall. The culture is combined with poplars, hodgepodge, anabasis, immortelles and some types of wormwood. The wood of beads is suitable for making various crafts.