Bird cherry is a low tree ofthe genus Plum. It grows in bush thickets and forests throughout our country, from the Sea of Okhotsk, and through Asia to Western Europe. In Russia it is very common to cultivate it as an ornamental plant.
Description
A bird cherry is a tree or a tall oneshrub, the height of sixty centimeters to ten meters, with an elongated thick crown. The bark of this representative of the Pink family is black-gray, matte, with white lenticels. Its branches have olive or red-cherry color.
Leaves of birdflies are ordinary, simple.They have an ovate-lanceolate or oblong elliptical shape, a length of three to ten centimeters. Petioles grow to 1.5 meters. Stipules in the bird cherub are subulate, very early receding. But the greatest interest in considering this culture is its flowers - white, sometimes even pinkish. They are collected in drooping thick brushes, reaching a length of up to twelve centimeters. The flowers have such a sharp aroma that it is spread all over the area. Petals and sepals on the stalk are five pieces, stamens - twenty.
When the bird cherry blossoms?
With the advent of May in nature, there is a rapid growth of herbaceous plants. Together with this, there is a worldwide flowering. It is impossible, while passing the bird cherry, not to enjoy its aroma.
This representative of the Pink family is not in vaincall the queen of spring. Bloom cherry bloom precedes the beginning of many agricultural works. It is believed that the planting of wheat and potatoes during this period contributes to a good harvest. Flowering bird cherry for the villagers, therefore, means that it is time to sow. It has long been thought that by that very nature a "signal" is given to the beginning of the grain-growing season.
The time of flowering bird cherry almost alwaysis at the end of April or the beginning of May. With this period, our ancestors associated two things. The first meant that there was an awakening of nature, and the second - the beginning of the summer.
As a rule, cherry blossoms occur inthe first week of May. However, depending on the weather, this time can move for a week in one direction or another. Therefore, it is impossible to name the date of flowering of this plant reliably: it depends on the region in which the tree grows, from the climate and even from the variety.
How the bird cherry blooms
To date, there are more than twenty speciesthis representative of the Roses. It is interesting that his berries are literally full of useful elements. They contain a large amount of cobalt, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, many vitamins of the group P, C and E.
Many associate the flowering period of bird cherry with the time to start fishing in open water.
In the people this plant has many names, butthe most remarkable, perhaps, "beautiful bride." Flowering bird cherry trees - a special sight. The trees are still only opening the leaves, and here, like white explosions, the fragrant buds of beautiful flowers hanging around the first bee swarms are evident. Having put on its elegant decoration, this tree symbolizes the transition to a hot summer season.
Varieties
The genus Bird cherry has about twenty species.In the gardens of the middle lane of our country, an ordinary variety with black and astringent fruits is common. Often there is also a virgin variety, with red berries. The most pleasant aroma spreads when the flowering of bird cherry blossoms begins.
However, not all varieties distinguish this feature.For example, the bloom of bird cherry blossoms is not accompanied by a smell. Its native land is the forests of North America. One can guess that this name was given to her in the late flowering period. This tree, growing to twenty meters, has a spreading crone and cherry bark. In autumn, its leaves are painted in bright red and yellow colors.
Application
Flowers cherry, as well as its fruits, are used inquality of urine or cholagogue. They are also used in the treatment of rheumatism and gout, enterocolitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, furunculosis, purulent wounds, conjunctivitis. It is believed that bird cherry helps and with diarrhea of non-infectious origin, as well as at the initial stage of diabetes mellitus.
In addition, this culture is easy to grow, itgrows fast and tolerates frost. However, not only the early flowering of the bird cherry is its advantage. The plant has excellent decorative properties, and therefore widely used in landscape design.
It is interesting
Despite the fact that the bird cherry popularlyuniversal love (it was sung by many poets, it is associated with a large number of will), however, gardeners and gardeners are not very pleased with this plant and prefer not to plant it in their plots. For some reason, it is considered that this representative of Rosy attracts pests, becoming for them a kind of incubator. However, this opinion is fundamentally wrong. Rather, on the contrary, this tree is extremely useful. Flowers and leaves of bird cherry emit a huge amount of volatile phytoncids, cleaning the air around. Near the bird cherry there are practically no mosquitoes or ticks.
However, for the same reason it is better not to put bouquets with her flowers in the house: a strong concentration of volatile production sometimes causes a headache.
