In the article we will talk about woody plants. We will learn everything we can find on this topic. Tree and shrub plants will be considered in detail and at all levels. The article is useful for both experienced people and beginners.
What is it about?
So, we need to deal with the topic of the article. What are woody plants? These are representatives of the flora that have woody processes above or below the ground. They are divided according to different parameters. The main one is the nature of development. According to this type there are vines, trees and shrubs. In trees, the trunk is best expressed. It grows to a large size. A characteristic feature of trees is that they are durable. Shrubs grow smaller, but from the very root they shoot almost identical branching trunks, which are much weaker than trees.
Clianas are plants with long stems that definitely need support. These are the three main species, but something else can be attributed to woody plants. For example, semi-shrubs, which are something in between the consideredherbaceous plants. Semi-shrubs include such types of flora that partly have a herbaceous component, and partly have a woody component. The upper part of the shrubs is most often updated annually. As an example, you can take raspberries and blackberries, in which the stems, although completely woody, die off in the second year.
Ornamental woody plants
Shrubs and semi-shrubs have found various and wide application in green building. To create beautiful three-dimensional compositions, trees are mainly used, and shrubs are considered an additional important material. As the basis of the composition, the bushes act when creating small green building objects in parks and squares, where they provide a share of diversity.
Wood plants can be deciduous or evergreen. The latter are covered with leaves or needles. The tree is updated not at once, but gradually, which creates the feeling that it is constantly green. Deciduous representatives of the flora shed their leaves as soon as the cold comes in temperate climates or drought in the tropics.
The importance of these biological features cannot be overestimated. They are important not only in green building, but also in traditional medicine. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the quality of living material depends not only on the season of the year, but also on the conditions in which the plant exists. Nevertheless, one must understand that all external characteristics are dynamic, since they depend mainly on the season or age. That is why it is so important and simply necessary to use woody plants, taking into account their biologicalfeatures.
Morphology
The family of trees and shrubs according to morphological features can be divided into different groups, which take into account the structure of the trunk, shoots, leaves and branches, etc. There are three types of branching:
- Monopodial, during which the central shoot grows from the topmost bud, while the side shoots do not interfere with the main one. This type includes maple, oak, ash and coniferous plants.
- Sympodial, when the main shoot begins to develop not from the highest point. The upper kidney simply dies off over time. This includes birch, apple, linden, willow.
- False dichotomous, during which the plant develops through two shoots, both of which are located below the uppermost bud. The brightest representative is lilac.
What are the main organs? Its stem, leaves and roots. The stem is a shoot, due to which there is a two-way movement of nutrients between the leaves and roots. At the top of the stem is a bud, from which a new extension of the stem develops every next year, causing the plant to grow upwards.
The trunk is the main and most durable stem on which the entire crown is located. In different varieties of wood, it can range from 50% to 90%. The trunk consists of wood, pith, bark and cambium. The bark is the outer part of the root and stem. Its main function is to protect tissues from negative external factors.environment. Also, the bark is full of reserve substances that are produced by the leaves. I must say that each tree has its own bark, the appearance and structure of which varies depending on the biological characteristics and age of the plant.
Leaves
Families and genera of woody and shrubby plants have a wide variety of leaves. Recall that it itself consists of a petiole and a plate. Leaves that are attached to the stem with a petiole are called petiolate, and if it is not, sessile. Depending on the appearance of the plate, several types of leaf can be distinguished:
- in the shape of an egg, in which the maximum width is at the bottom, and the length is several times greater than the width;
- lanceolate - the length is 4 times greater than the width, the widest part is below the middle;
- oblanceolate - the widest part is above the middle;
- obovate - in the shape of an egg, but the maximum width is at the top;
- linear, in which the width is 4 times less than the length;
- oblong - the length is always several times greater than the width;
- round - approximately the same length and width parameters;
- oval - the difference between the length and width is no more than 2 times.
Also, the leaves can be divided depending on what shape they have at the base and top. All leaves have a different edge. It can be solid (that is, without notches), serrated, unevenly serrated, the edges can be serrated (when the teeth look like saw teeth), crenate (roundedtooth shape), notched.
The length of the leaves of woody plants can vary greatly. The largest leaves in length reach more than 40 cm, medium ones - up to 20 cm, small ones - up to 10 cm. It is also important what kind of surface the leaf blade has. It can be shiny, agate, matte, waxy. Sheets can be either simple or complex. A simple leaf has only a petiole and a blade, while a complex one may consist of several blades, which are attached with small petioles to the main one.
Crown
The genus of woody and shrubby plants determines their crown. Specifically, its shape depends on the type of branching and the proportions of development in width and length. There are basic forms of the crown - in the form of a pyramid, oval, egg, umbrella, ball, weeping, curly, creeping, cushion and sprawling.
The pyramid-shaped crown is found in fir, spruce, cypress and poplar. An oval shape can boast larch, chestnut. An egg-shaped crown is observed in pine. The apple and maple trees have spherical outlines; pillow - in cypress; creeping - at the juniper; sprawling - in willow, oak; umbrella - in Japanese maple. A separate species are "bunches", that is, trees that have no branches. Their leaves are collected as if in a bundle and attached to the trunk (dracaena, palm tree).
The density of the crown largely depends on the density of the branches and the degree of foliage. There are openwork and compact crowns. The first ones are slightly translucent, so they are used in landscape design when you need to create a ventilated structure. tight crowns,like pine, spruce, poplar or fir, they are used when it is necessary to create sufficient shade, natural sound insulation. Such crowns are able to trap dust and wind.
Gender characteristics
Regardless of the genus of woody plants, they may have some gender differences. Understanding these subtleties is very important, because a number of plants can cause allergies when flowering, and this, in turn, depends on where and when the male and female flowers develop. Main classification:
- Hisexual - plants that initially have both stamens and carpels, 70% of this species is wild rose.
- Dioecious - male and female flowers. An example is actinidia.
- Sterile - when there is no stamen or pistil. An example is viburnum bulldenezh.
What other types of plants are there? Consider:
- Monoecious, when there are male and female flowers on the same plant unit. Oak is an example.
- Dioecious plants have either only female or only male flowers on one specimen. An example is sea buckthorn.
An important biological feature of woody houseplants (wild ones too) is that the distribution of female and male flowers is always changing. Moreover, each species may have a different ratio of flowers. Moreover, it can change even during the life cycle of a plant. Some plants, such as pine, produce female cones for several years, and then male ones.
It is believed that abundant fruitingpoplar is caused precisely by the fact that there is an age-related sex change. It is also worth noting that all the flowers are located on the crown polar. It is important to understand that the sex of a plant can change depending on the impact of various climate factors, the spectral composition of light, air temperature, the amount of organic and mineral substances, when using growth regulators. Gender may change due to broken shoots.
Growth and development
It is possible to conditionally divide plants according to the intensity of their growth. There are fast-growing representatives of the flora, which every year have an increase of about 1 m, moderately growing, in which the increase is from 0.5 m, slow-growing, whose growth is up to 0.5 m per year. The range of each representative of the flora is very important. Recall that this is the territory in which the studied plant grows. All indicators of growth and development largely depend on environmental environmental factors, such as the regime of water and light, temperature, and soil. Consider the division of woody plants according to the need for soil moisture:
- Hygrophytes. So called plants that feel great in too moist soil. For example, willow.
- Mesophytes - plants that grow well with sufficient moisture, but do not tolerate both excess and lack of moisture. For example, oak.
- Xerophytes are representatives of the flora that grow and develop well even in conditions of insufficient moisture. For example, skumpiya.
As for the soil, that is, plants that need alkaline bedding (boxwood) or acidic soil (chestnut). However, most woody plants grow well regardless of soil reaction.
According to the state of plants during frosts, they are of three types. Frost-resistant - those that are able to live at a temperature of -25 degrees; moderately frost-resistant - which do not die when the air temperature fluctuates from -15 to -25 degrees; non-frost-resistant - plants that die if the temperature drops below 0 degrees. However, such a division is applicable only for a temperate climate, because in the southern regions the plants have their own characteristics and, accordingly, other criteria for frost resistance.
Conditions
For woody plants, the most important thing is lighting, as well as its quality, intensity and duration. There are light-loving representatives, for example, birch, pine or larch, and there are shade-tolerant ones, for example, yew, fir and linden. Despite this, lighting is very important for both species. It is known that while the plants are young, they tolerate the shade better. In order for the plant to develop well, it must be cut from time to time. This should be done by a specialist who will understand the final ratio between the mass of the roots and the crown. It is believed that there are three main types of crown trimming: sanitary, molding, rejuvenating. For lovers, anti-aging pruning is most suitable.
In order for the stem of woody plants and its other parts to grow and develop well, appropriate conditions must be created. Very often, in the process of growth and development, plants may appearproblems requiring outside treatment. Due to the negative influence of environmental factors, wounds, hollows and cuts may appear, which are safe in themselves, but they contribute to various diseases and purulent processes. In this case, the damage must be repaired and the sore spot treated properly.
Wounds are most often treated with a 5% solution of copper or iron sulfate. Creosote oil or other substances known to those skilled in the art may also be used. After the surface has been treated, an insulating "bandage" consisting of different mixtures is applied in its place. Most often it is a silicone resin. Cement with sand or crumb rubber is also applied to the mixture. When all this hardens enough, then oil paint is applied on top, which is selected to match the tone of the crown. Such subtleties are carried out only if they are necessary, that is, if this plant is in a public place or on a commercial property.
When landing, biological features should also be taken into account. The genus of woody and shrubby plants of the Sapindaceae family, like other genera, has its own characteristics. It is very important to take into account the influence of lighting and shade on the development and color of the plant. For landscaping public areas in America, planting trees in special containers is used. In Russia, such methods are just beginning to be introduced.
Sapindaceae - a genus of trees and shrubs
Sapindaceae are tree-type flowering plants thatup to 2000 species. Most often grow in tropical and temperate climates. They are trees, shrubs and vines, but sometimes they can be in the form of grass. Characterized by pinnate, doubly pinnate or trifoliate leaves. The flowers are pyramid shaped. They are combined into simple or complex inflorescences in the form of a brush. Most often same-sex and monoecious. Very rarely there are bisexual representatives of Sapindidae. The whole genus is characterized by a special type of fruit - in the form of a box with a shell.
Application
Specifically, about the genus of woody plants of the Sapindaceae family, it must be said that they can secrete milky juice, which is also called latex. However, it is only released if the plant is damaged. Seeds, leaves and roots are rich in partially poisonous substances that have soapy properties. Some species can be eaten (pulasan, lychee, mamonchillo).
Guarana seeds contain caffeine, which is used in the food industry. These seeds are also used to make a paste, which is specially added to chocolate and used to make tonic drinks.
The genus of woody and shrubby plants of the Sapindaceae family and other families has received a very great use in landscaping. We can say that these representatives of the flora are the basic plants in green building and landscape design.
