The flora of our planet is extremely diverse and beautiful. A huge number of different life forms of plants provides not only aesthetic pleasure, but also brings very tangible practical benefits: it is a source of nutrition, decorative elements, a supplier of medicines, a source of clean and fresh air filled with oxygen, and so on.
Among all life forms of plants, a large place is given to herbs, both cultivated and wild. They occupy almost 50% of the total mass of the planet's flora, so let's look at them.
Herbs: general characteristics
Most often, herbs are plants that have a slightly modified shoot. That is, in the classical sense, the shoot should include a stem, leaves and a flower. So, not all structural parts can be observed in herbs. Often the stem is modified, the leaves take on such a shape and size that help to adapt to environmental conditions as much as possible.
The flower, as a reproductive organ, is, of course, all herbs. However, they are also very different in size, shape and color. This factor will depend on the method of pollination of a particularplant species.
Wild grasses are a very large group, including representatives from almost all known families of angiosperms. The names of herbs are very diverse. There are both historically established "names" and scientific data on binary nomenclature (in Latin, the first name is the genus, the second is the species). For example, Leonurus heterophyllus, or Motherwort.
The root system, branching of the shoot, the structure of the flower and leaves - all these botanical characteristics will be based on a particular genus and species of plant, so it is impossible to single out any common morphological features for all wild herbs.
Classification of herbs
The basis can be based on different signs, but the most common division of herbs into:
- Annuals - buttercups, cornflowers, ageratums, cinquefoils, dope, poppies, chamomile - the names of herbs of this group can be listed for a very long time, as they are numerous.
- Biennial - mallow, spurge, sweet clover, lupine, forget-me-not, bluebell, viola and others.
- Perennial - begonia, anemone, alyssum, St. John's wort, cane, iris, sour, oregano, elecampane and others. The names of herbs in this category reflect their purpose. Obviously, this includes many well-known medicinal species.
In addition to this classification, another one can be given. Based on the area of human use.
- Medicinal herbs - celandine, succession, thyme, chamomile, sage, calendula, burnet, lily of the valley andothers.
- Cultivated agricultural plants - vegetables, fruits, cereals (cereals).
- Spicy herbs - ginger, fennel, horseradish, anise, parsley, basil, lemon balm, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, laurel and so on.
- Ornamental grasses - ornamental cabbage, euphorbia bordered, Daurian moonseed, rejuvenated, bergenia, cochia, rogersia and many others.
According to the place of growth, all herbs can be divided into mountain, forest, meadow, swamp, desert, steppe and horticultural (weeds and cultivated plants).
Wild herbs of Russia
There are a lot of such representatives. Almost all wild herbs, names and photos of their representatives can be seen in any relevant encyclopedia. Let's try and we will consider in more detail the variety of Russian wild herbs.
Only more than 900 medicinal species are known, but there are also many others. Their distribution across climatic zones is uneven. It is known that most plants, including herbs, are located in the more southern, southeastern and eastern regions of our country. The northern, northwestern and western regions are densely populated, but not as diverse in species composition.
So, we can cite as an example the region of Siberia (Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East, all nearby areas, up to Chukotka). Here the most common herbs are wild, whose names are as follows:
- parnolistnik;
- tribulus;
- dandelion;
- sorrel;
- shepherd's bag;
- primrose;
- viburnum;
- cala wing;
- Highlander;
- badan;
- various sedges;
- feather grass;
- wormwood;
- quinoa;
- celandine and many others.
Among those listed, you can find both medicinal and common types. One thing unites them - these are representatives of the flora living in the wild. Herbs are plants that are simply impossible to cover in one article. Too many of them. The European part of Russia is represented by a variety of beautiful flowering herbs that form whole carpets of colors, making the wild nature unimaginably beautiful. Among them are such names of herbs as lingonberry, common loosestrife, oak speedwell, crow's eye, common heather, Fisher's carnation, forest geranium, hard-leaved chickweed.
Due to good climatic conditions, the central strip of Russia is famous for its many medicinal types of herbs, which also create a beautiful summer, spring and autumn landscape with their flowers. These are such as fragrant kupena, May lily of the valley, juvenile shoot-bearing, oak maryannik, common chamomile, nightshade, blueberries, yastrebinka, hawkweed and others.
Mountain areas and their herbs will be discussed in more detail later.
Forest chin
A beautiful perennial plant with a bright pink corolla color and a wonderful honey aroma that attracts pollinating insects from June until September autumn days. Many pasture animals choose this wild beauty fornutrition, since its roots, stem and leaves contain a lot of proteins and carbohydrates. Belongs to the Motylkov family (Bean). The main economic value - as a perennial, carries out annual soil drainage, participates in soil-forming processes, is good for livestock feed. Has no medicinal value.
Ranunculus caustic
Very widespread poisonous plant. It is found in almost all stripes of Russia, has a high adaptability to environmental conditions. Includes several types of grass, the names and photos of which can be seen below.
Ranunculus Varieties:
- caustic ("night blindness" in the common people);
- Kashubian;
- creeping;
- Spring cleaner;
- garden and others.
Not suitable for grazing animals, as the shoot of the plant is poisonous. After drying to the state of hay, it becomes safe. It is not used in conventional medicine, but in alternative medicine it is very common as a remedy for rheumatism, open wounds, boils, tuberculosis and burns.
Mountain herbs
The most famous among these are, of course, Altai herbs. A huge number of cosmetics, medicines, tinctures, balms, ointments are created on the basis of extracts of these miraculous plants.
After all, the very air of this mountainous area seems to heal. Almost all plants grown on the rocky surfaces of Altai are medicinal. Animals that eat these herbsthe strongest and he althiest. People who use fees from these places for treatment have fewer chronic diseases than residents of other areas.
Some Altai herbs that have received national recognition and are most commonly used by man:
- red brush (Rhodiola quadruple);
- milk thistle;
- gold rod;
- hill s altwort;
- penny;
- upland uterus (ortilia lopsided);
- Veronica black;
- white cinquefoil;
- small cornflower;
- squat rank;
- burnet;
- calendula vulgaris;
- officinalis sweet clover;
- air;
- umbrella hawk;
- Marshmallow;
- chokeberry;
- sandy immortelle and many others.
Balms are very common, which combine several herbal components at once. They help with a variety of problems: they cleanse, soothe, tone up, normalize blood pressure, restore sleep, relieve headaches and chronic fatigue, and so on. Such wild mountain herbs, whose names were given above, are very valuable objects of medicine.
Milk Thistle
Another name for this Altai herb is milk thistle. This plant has long been revered as a very good medicinal assistant. Infusions from different parts of the herb help with liver diseases, cleanse the intestines and eliminate inflammation, relieve swelling and treat jaundice and many other ailments.
The plant itself sometimes reaches 1.5 min height. The leaves are very beautiful, with a white border and a dissected edge. The flowers look like rounded cones, dark pink or purple. A very valuable property of milk thistle, which allows it to be used both in folk and traditional medicine, is the complete absence of side effects.
Beautiful appearance allows it to be used not only as a medicinal plant, but also as an ornamental plant in many gardens.
Rhodiola four-petal
In the common people - a red brush. Endemic plant of the Altai Territory. One of the most popular among these mountain herbs. It is used in both folk and traditional medicine for the treatment of female diseases of the pelvic organs, infertility, male prostatitis, and inflammation. Helps stop bleeding, normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system, helps in the treatment of various viral and bacterial diseases.
Outwardly very interesting, unusual herbs. The description is as follows: low, growing on rocky surfaces, plants with narrow, closely spaced leaves. The flowers are hardly noticeable, pale, but the fruits in the form of leaflets are very bright, red. The shape of the leaves resembles a brush, for which this plant got its name.
The most common medicinal herbs
This group includes a lot of representatives around the world. There is also a wide variety of them in Russia. Indeed, almost all plants (with the exception of highly poisonous ones) contain useful alkaloids, essential oils, resins,tannins, minerals and other components that allow them to be used as medicinal herbs. The names of the most common and well-known representatives of this group, growing on the territory of our country, are as follows:
- chamomile pharmacy;
- eyebright;
- white cinquefoil;
- coltsfoot;
- melissa officinalis;
- umbrella winter love;
- upland uterus;
- common raspberry;
- large plantain;
- five-lobed motherwort;
- calamus vulgaris;
- golden root;
- fragrant collision;
- red viburnum;
- calendula;
- Chinese lemongrass;
- common rosehip;
- eleutherococcus senticosus;
- echinacea;
- sequence;
- celandine and many others.
Obviously, it is simply impossible to list all plants, since their species diversity is too great.
Aloe arborescens
From domestic potted plants, agave, or aloe, is often used as a medicine. It is a succulent plant with thick fleshy leaves topped with thorns. Aloe juice contains many (up to 200) different useful substances. They help to treat open wounds, inflammation, bacterial and viral diseases.
The most common spice plants
They have been used since ancient times as medicinal, but most often as food additives that make dishes exquisite, original and very fragrant. Some titlesspicy herbs of Russia we will conclude the article: horseradish, dill, parsley, celery, parsnip, black pepper, cardamom, peppermint, lemon balm, mustard and some others.
