Berries such as raspberries, currants, strawberries and blackberries are known to all. But when it comes to humanity, few people understand what it is. Even people with garden plots do not always know about it. But in fact, this is a fairly common, long-known and useful plant. Cumanica berry is similar to a blackberry and is a variety of it. It can be found in the forest or grown on its site. With proper care, you can regale yourself with these tasty and healthy berries for a long time.
What is Cumanica berry
A photo of this plant can be misleading to any inexperienced gardener. After all, it is very similar to blackberries and raspberries. In fact, Cumanica is a subspecies of blackberry. It belongs to the pink family. This is a shrub plant with erect shoots and large black and red berries. Cumanica is also called Nessa's blackberry. In some places, it is known by the names Cumanica, sundew, or turquoise.
The shoots of this plant are straight, only at the ends a little flexible, covered with rare sharp spikes. Branches can grow up to 3.5 meters, but usually the bush has a height of one to two meters. In July-August, it is covered with large black berries. They are multicostic, like a blackberry, but do not separate from the stem.
Difference from blackberry
The description of the berry of many cranberries can be misleading. Although it is a subspecies of the blackberry and very similar to it, it has much in common with raspberries. Kumaniki has such distinctive features:
- shoots erect, inflexible, can not take root, like a blackberry;
- spikes on the shoots are rare, straight, not bent at the ends;
- the leaves are complex, they consist of five to seven leaves, and not of three, like a blackberry;
- berries are larger and without bluish plaque, have a purple-black or red-black color.
Where does the cumanica berry grow?
This plant is distributed throughout European Russia, except for the northern latitudes. It also grows in Europe, Scandinavia and the Caucasus. It prefers sandy moist soils, so it can often be found in floodplains of rivers, near swamps. It grows well in moist pine or birch forests, forming dense thickets. Grows on the edges or in the thick of shrubs, well fixes the slopes of ravines and screes. You can meet the Cumanika berry on the banks of rivers and lakes, along roadsides. Its cultivation in garden plots is also widespread. For this, different varieties are used: Apache, Lauton, Ebony, Darrow, Guy and others. They are quite fruitful, and the berries are larger than that of wild growing cumanica.
Features of growing and harvesting
Cumanika berry grows well in the wild, but recently it has often been grown in home gardens. This plant propagates mainly by cuttings. It is a shrub type, so when planting you need to leave about one meter between the cuttings. The shade is hardy, can withstand frosts up to 20 ° C, but does not tolerate drought. When caring for her, regular pruning is very important, do it every year.
Almost all parts of the plant are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Leaves and flowers are collected during flowering, berries - as they ripen. Depending on the variety and cultivation characteristics, four to ten kg per season can be collected from the bush. The roots for medicinal purposes are dug up in November or spring, before the sap flow begins. The roots and leaves are dried in the shade, the berries can be frozen.
Application and useful properties
The most commonly used Cumanica berry for food. Compotes, jam, jelly are made from it, consumed in fresh or dried form. But they use this plant also for medicinal purposes. Roots and leaves are especially appreciated. There are many tannins, flavonoids, pectins, polysaccharides, organic acids, minerals and vitamins in any part of the plant. The roots have anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, and delicious and healthy tea is prepared from the leaves. They can also be used externally - they have a hemostatic and wound healing effect.
Cumaniki berries themselves have tonic and tonic properties. They improve metabolic processes and the digestive tract. In folk medicine, decoctions from this plant are widely used for gastritis, peptic ulcer, colds, neuroses. Cumanica is useful in diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, joint diseases, insomnia, impaired kidney and intestines. Tea from leaves and fresh fruit juice perfectly quench thirst, and also have a restorative and tonic effect.