2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Representatives of the Buckthorn family, who prefer to grow in partial shade, can be evergreen or deciduous. The trunk and branches of shrubs or small buckthorn trees are usually smooth. But some species have armed their shoots with sharp thorns. Glossy beautiful leaves give the plant a decorative effect. The bark and fruits have medicinal properties
Smooth and prickly relatives
Smoothbore buckthorn
The smooth-bore buckthorn is a fragile creature. Its wood and medicinal bark easily crumble, as if the age-old ruin eats them from the inside due to the bitter fate of the son of God, who came to save people. Instead of gratitude, people "adorned" the divine head with a thorny crown woven from the branches of a buckthorn relative.
The genus of Frangula is often combined with the prickly Joster or Rhamnus, from which hedges protect from intruders.
Crown of thorns
Among the thorny varieties of the family, the shrub "Paliurus Christ's thorn" stands out, which in Russia is called more simply - "Derzhiderevo", for its ability to grow on steep rocky slopes. From its thorny branches, the Roman tormentors of Jesus Christ weaved a crown of thorns and placed it on the head of the son of God.
For two thousand years people have kept that crown for the edification of their descendants. But the essence of a person is changing very slowly. Yes, and the authenticity of the crown is questionable, because if you collect all its thorny fragments stored in different temples, then its size will be enough for four heads of Jesus.
Varieties
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Joster evergreen (Rhamnus alatenus) is a branched evergreen shrub, a typical representative of the Mediterranean thorny and stiff-leaved thickets. The bark is reddish-gray, furrowed. Oval or elliptical simple leaves with a white border and a slightly serrate or solid edge. In the first months of spring, greenish-yellow small flowers bloom, collected in clusters-inflorescences in the leaf axils. Rounded fruits of dark color.
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Joster laxative (Rhamnus cathartica) - a straight thorny trunk sheds its simple leaves with a jagged edge for the winter. From April to June, the axillary inflorescences of yellow-green flowers attract bees that harvest yellow honey, which is not prone to sugaring. The round dried fruit is used as a laxative or emetic medicine.
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Buckthorn fragile or alder (Frangula alnus) - black smooth bark of deciduous resistant shrub rich in tannins. Alder buckthorn is grown for medicinal purposes and as an ornamental shrub. The decoration of the bush is its glossy leaves with a wavy edge, in the axils of which greenish-white small flowers bloom in groups. The flowers turn into small green fruits, which then turn red and turn black when ripe.
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Joster dwarf (Rhamnus pumila) is a creeping deciduous species with intricately intertwined branches, elliptical or oval leaves and small greenish flowers that appear in late spring or early summer. At the end of summer, the bushes are covered with dark purple fruits.
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Alpine joster (Rhamnus alpina) is a deciduous winter-hardy plant that is less common in culture than other species.
Growing
A place in partial shade is more suitable for buckthorn. Different species have different attitudes towards air temperature. Evergreen buckthorn is suitable for a mild climate, the rest can withstand a winter cold snap.
Buckthorn is unpretentious to soils, but does not tolerate stagnant water. This does not negate the conduct of mineral and organic dressings, which are combined with watering every 2-3 weeks. Regular watering is required only for young plantings and with prolonged drought.
For rock gardens and soil cover, dwarf zhoster is used. Tall species are planted in city gardens and parks, live thorny hedges are arranged.
Can be affected by a variety of microscopic parasitic fungi.
Reproduction
Sowing seeds in open ground in the fall.
Layering, digging in the lower branches. After a couple of years, the rooted layers are separated from the mother and assigned to a new place.
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