All varieties of this plant are usually used as decorative ornaments in gardens and adjoining areas. Hedges are mainly created from it. This plant is perfectly combined with deciduous shrubs of red and golden colors, as well as coniferous trees.
In addition to all of its varieties, children make beads. This plant is called sucker. Flowering shrubs (perennials) have some useful properties.
General information
Sucker - deciduous or evergreen shrub or tree belonging to the Sucker family. The plant grows in China and Japan, as well as in Europe, Russia and North America. In total, there are more than 50 species.
The plant (including thorny goof) has been widely used in landscaping gardens and park areas.
origin of name
"Elaiagnos" is a Greek word consisting of the terms: "elaia", "agnos". The first word is translated as "olive", and the second means "Abraham's tree." Such a goof got its name in connection with its similarity to an olive tree (especially leaves and fruits).
In Central Asia, it is called "jigdah", "jigid" or "jidah."
Types of sucker
The most famous and common types of plants:
- goofy prickly (grows in Japan);
- umbrella (common in East Asia);
- silver (found in North America);
- narrow-leaved (places of growth - the south of Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia);
- goof multiflorous (common in Japan and China).
general description
Most often, a sucker is not a very tall tree with a spreading openwork crown or shrub. This plant is low, but occasionally there are specimens reaching a height of up to 8 meters or more.
Branches have a grayish-brown tint. Leaves grow in length from 3 to 10 centimeters. Flowering, during which the branches are densely covered with fragrant flowers, occurs in May, June and July. In August, fruits appear that are edible and tasty. In their chemical composition, they are quite rich, but people rarely eat them, as they have a large bone and little pulp. Among these plants there are varieties of "cacti." The following is a more detailed description of them.
Prickly goof
The plant reaches a height of up to 7 meters. This is an evergreen deciduous shrub with sprawling branches strewn with short thick thorns. Another feature of this variety is the frequent appearance of shoots with side branches pointing downward, thanks to which the sucker clings to various objects and plants. Its elliptical shape leaves dark green in length reach up to 10 centimeters. They shine beautifully in the sun. Due to its ability to cling to any objects, this species in height can reach up to 10 meters.
The flower of the sucker, exuding a rather strong aroma, has a golden hue in the middle, and silver-white petals on top. Bundles of inflorescences consist of two to three flowers. After flowering is completed, greenish-brown fruits first appear, which, upon ripening, acquire a beautiful red tone. For such an unusual color and unpretentiousness, the plant is revered by landscape designers who use it mainly to create hedges.
Prickly sucker - a plant shade-tolerant and drought-tolerant, unpretentious to soils. It can tolerate frosts down to −18 ° Celsius. As noted above, a plant that takes root well in urban conditions is widely used by humans in the design of parks and gardens.
Landing
Spiny sucker, as well as other varieties of the planting, is planted in the spring, as during autumn planting, seedlings that have not gained strength by that time die.
The place for them is chosen well-lit. Between the seedlings, the distance should be at least 1.5 meters, otherwise with a strong growth of the crown, the plants can obscure each other. When choosing a landing site, the composition of the soil should be taken into account. For heavy, non-fertilized soil, additional fertile supplements will have to be used.
In the summer, you should mulch humus or peat, and in case of hot weather, you need to use slurry as top dressing.
Care Features
Despite the fact that the sucker is an unpretentious plant, it still requires some care. The plant is quite sensitive to weeds, and therefore, you should regularly monitor the cleanliness of the soil near the plant. The annual top dressing, which is produced by organic fertilizers, is also welcome. Consumption - per plant about 20 kg or more. You can add superphosphate (up to 500 gr.), Potassium salt (about 200 gr.).
Pruning of old branches should be done annually (usually in spring). Upon reaching the age of 15, it is necessary to rejuvenate the plant, removing about a third of the old branches.
In autumn, the branches of prickly sucker, like other types of plants from the family, need to be tied with a rope or fastened with hooks and, laying them, put tops on top of them, shoots of raspberries, brushwood and more. In order not to cause an outburst, one should not cover the plant with burlap or other dense materials. After the winter period, sucker shoots are restored quite quickly.
With proper care, the plant can grow for 25 years, while giving good fruits.
Breeding methods
The goof is propagated by seeds, cuttings and offspring of the root. The best way is seed. They should be sown in September-October. In the case of spring sowing, it is necessary to pre-stratify the seeds for 3-4 months. The temperature should be kept within 10-15 degrees Celsius.
Evergreen varieties of this family propagate mainly through cuttings.
Beneficial features
Prickly sucker, like other types of plants, is a valuable plant. These are fruits, flowers, resin and leaves. They note the content of a large amount of ascorbic acid, especially in the autumn season. Pre-dried plant leaves can be brewed as tea.
Loch is a wonderful honey plant with unique healing properties. In folk medicine, almost all parts of this plant are used. Harvesting of leaves is made in the first half of summer, flowers - from May to early June. Drying fees is recommended under a canopy or in special devices.
It is used as a good astringent, antiviral and antibacterial agent. The leaves are good for making decoctions and infusions that lower the temperature during fever and colds. It is used externally for radiculitis, rheumatism and gout. At the same time lotions are made from the leaves of the sucker. Flowers are used to make decoctions that heal wounds. They are also used for colitis, edema and hypertension.
The most valuable part of the plant is its fruits. The fruits are good for improving memory, they also have an expectorant and diuretic property. Delicious berries have a tonic and restorative effect. They are useful in diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Decoctions from the fruits are effective for colitis, diarrhea and various inflammatory processes. They perfectly destroy pathogenic microbes. You can increase tonus and strengthen immunity by using juices from sucker berries.
Finally
This amazing oriental plant has long been popular in European countries and in many other parts of the world. Landscape designers appreciate it for bright fruits and unusual leaves, beekeepers for fragrant flowers rich in nectar, and traditional healers for useful substances contained in almost all its parts.
The wood used in the manufacture of crafts has good hardness and density. Various crafts and musical instruments are made from it. Gum is used to make glue. Of some varieties (for example, Bukhara jida, which has a striped color) make beads. Due to the fragrant aroma of flowers, the plant is used in the manufacture of perfumes. Especially attractive goof for gardeners. Maybe you should take a closer look at this plant?