The article will talk about woody plants. We will find out everything that can be found regarding this topic. Tree and shrub plants will be examined in detail and at all levels. The article is useful for both experienced people and beginners.
What are you talking about?
So, we need to deal with the topic of the article. What are woody plants? These are representatives of the flora, which have woody processes above or below the ground. Separate them according to different parameters. The main one is the nature of development. By this type there are vines, trees and shrubs. In trees, the trunk is best expressed. It grows to large sizes. A characteristic feature of trees is that they are durable. Shrubs grow less, but from the root they let out almost the same branching trunks, which are much weaker than that of trees.
Creepers are plants with long stems that need support. These are the three main species, but something else can be attributed to woody plants. For example, shrubs, which are something between the considered herbaceous plants. Semi-shrubs include species of flora that partially have a grassy component and partially woody. 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 in the second year.
Decorative woody plants
In green building, shrubs and shrubs have found different and widespread use. To create beautiful volumetric compositions, trees are mainly used, and shrubs are considered an additional important material. The bushes act as the basis of the composition when creating small green building objects in parks and squares, where they give a share of diversity.
Woody plants can be deciduous or evergreen. The latter are covered with leaves or needles. The tree is updated not once, but gradually, due to which it creates the feeling that it is constantly green. Deciduous representatives of the flora drop leaves as soon as cold in a temperate climate or drought in the tropics comes.
The importance of these biological features is difficult to overestimate. 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 just necessary to use woody plants, taking into account their biological characteristics.
Morphology
The morphological features of the family of tree-shrub plants can be divided into different groups, where the structure of the trunk, shoots, leaves and branches, etc. are taken into account. There are three types of branching:
- Monopodial, during which the central shoot grows from the uppermost bud, and the side shoots do not interfere with the main one. This type includes maple, oak, ash and conifers.
- Sympodial, when the main shoot begins to develop not from the highest point. The upper kidney just dies over time. These include birch, apple, linden, willow.
- False dichotomous, during which the plant develops through two shoots, both of which are located below the highest kidney. The brightest representative is lilac.
What are the main organs? Its stem, leaves and roots. The stem is an escape, due to which there is a two-way movement of nutrients between leaves and roots. At the top of the stem there is a bud, from which a new continuation of the stem develops for each next year, causing the plant to grow up.
The trunk is the main and most durable stem on which the entire crown is located. In different varieties of wood, it can be from 50% to 90%. The trunk consists of wood, core, bark and cambium. The bark is the outer part of the root and stem. Its main function is to protect tissues from negative environmental factors. Also, the bark is full of reserve substances that are produced by 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. The leaves that are attached to the stem with the petiole are called petiolate, and if it is not, they are 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 in the lower part, 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;
- reverse lanceolate - the widest part is above the middle;
- obovate - in the shape of an egg, but the maximum width is in the upper part;
- linear, in which the width is 4 times less than the length;
- oblong - the length is always several times the width;
- round - an approximate coincidence of the length and width parameters;
- oval - the difference between length and width is not more than 2 times.
Also, the leaves can be divided depending on what kind of base and top they have. All leaves have a different margin. It can be solid (that is, without serrations), serrated, serrated, the edges can be serrated (when the teeth are similar to the teeth of a saw), grabbed (the rounded shape of the teeth), and notched.
The length of the leaves of woody plants can vary greatly. The largest leaves in length reach more than 40 cm, medium - up to 20 cm, small - up to 10 cm. It is also important what is the surface of the leaf blade. It can be shiny, agate, matte, waxy. Sheets can be either simple or complex. A simple leaf has only a petiole and a plate, and a complex leaf can consist of several plates that are attached with small petioles to the main one.
Crown
The genus of woody and shrubby plants determine 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, cushioned and spreading.
Crohn in the form of a pyramid is found in fir, spruce, cypress and poplar. The oval shape boasts larch, chestnut. Crohn in the shape of an egg is observed in pine. Apple tree and maple have spherical outlines; pillow - in cypress; creeping - in juniper; spreading - at willow, oak; umbrella - in Japanese maple. Separate species are “tufts”, that is, trees that have no branches. The leaves are collected as if in a bunch and attached to the trunk (dracaena, palm).
The density of the crown largely depends on the density of the branches and the degree of foliation. There are openwork and compact crowns. The first ones are a little translucent, so they are used in landscape design when you need to create a blown structure. Dense crowns, like pine, spruce, poplar or fir, are used when it is necessary to create a sufficient shadow, natural sound insulation. Such crowns are capable of trapping dust and wind.
Gender characteristics
Regardless of the type of woody plant, they may have some sex differences. Understanding these subtleties is very important, because a number of plants can cause allergies during flowering, and this, in turn, depends on where and when the male and female flowers develop. Main classification:
- Bisexual - plants that initially have stamens and carpels, 70% of this species are wild rose.
- Dioecious - male and female flowers. An example is actinidia.
- Sterile - when there is no stamen or pestle. An example is viburnum buldenezh.
What other plant species are there? Consider:
- Monoecious, when on one unit of the plant there are male and female flowers. An example is oak.
- Dioecious plants have either only female, or only male flowers on one specimen. An example is sea buckthorn.
An important biological feature of woody indoor plants (wild ones too) is that the distribution of female and male flowers always changes. In addition, 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.
It is believed that the abundant fruiting of poplar 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 vary depending on the effects 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 breakdown of shoots.
Growth and development
You can conditionally divide plants according to their growth rate. There are fast-growing representatives of the flora, which each year have an increase of about 1 m, moderately growing, in which the growth is from 0.5 m, slow-growing, whose growth is up to 0.5 m per year. The habitat of each representative of the flora is very important. Recall that this is the territory on which the plant under study grows. All indicators of growth and development largely depend on environmental environmental factors, such as the regime of water and light, temperature, soil. Consider the division of woody plants by the need for soil moisture:
- Hygrophytes. These are the names of plants that feel great on too moist soil. For example, willow.
- Mesophytes are plants that grow well with sufficient moisture, but poorly tolerate both excess and lack of moisture. For example, oak.
- Xerophytes are such 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 litter (boxwood) or acidic soil (chestnut). However, most representatives of woody plants grow well regardless of the 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 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 frost resistance criteria.
Conditions
For woody plants, lighting is of the utmost importance, as well as its quality, intensity and duration. There are representatives of light-loving, for example, birch, pine or larch, and there are shade-hardy, for example, yew, fir and linden. Despite this, lighting is very important for both types. It is known that while the plants are young, they better tolerate the shadow. In order for the plant to develop well, it must be trimmed 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 pruning: sanitary, molding, anti-aging. 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 in plants, problems may arise that require external treatment. Due to the negative influence of environmental factors, wounds, hollows and cuts may appear, which themselves are safe, but they contribute to various diseases and purulent processes. In this case, the damage should be repaired, and the sore spot handled 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 can also be used. After the surface is processed, an insulating “dressing” consisting of different mixtures is applied in its place. Most often it is an organosilicon resin. Cement with sand or rubber crumb is still applied to the mixture. When all this hardens enough, 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 territory.
When planting, biological features must also be taken into account. The genus of woody and shrubby plants of the sapinda family, like other genera, has its own characteristics. It is very important to consider the effect of lighting and shadow on the development and color of the plant. Planting trees in special containers is used for landscaping public areas in America. In Russia, such methods are only just beginning to be introduced.
Sapindovyh - a genus of woody and shrubby plants
Sapinda are flowering plants of wood type, which number up to 2000 species. Most often grow in tropical and temperate climates. They are trees, shrubs and creepers, but can sometimes be in the form of grass. They are characterized by cirrus, double cirrus or triple leaves. The flowers are in the shape of a pyramid. They are combined into simple or complex inflorescences in the form of a brush. Most often same-sex and monoecious. Bisexual representatives of sapinda are very rare. 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 sapinda family, it must be said that they can secrete milky sap, which is also called latex. However, it is released only if the plant is damaged. Seeds, leaves and roots are rich in partially toxic substances that have soapy properties. Some species can be eaten (pulasan, lychee, mamonchillo).
Guarana seeds contain caffeine, which is used in the food industry. Of these seeds, pasta is also made, which is specially added to chocolate and used to prepare tonic drinks.
The genus of woody and shrubby plants of the sapinda family and other families has received very great application in landscaping. We can say that these representatives of the flora are the base plants in green building and landscape design.