Juniper Siberian science is known under the Latin name Juniperus sibirica. However, to this day the name is quite controversial. Some people prefer to say that there is only ordinary juniper. Siberian (the photo of which is given in this article) is such a species that grows in Siberia, but apart from geographical features it has no differences.
general information
The name of the species "Siberian juniper" is associated with the peculiarities of its growth. At the same time, the plant, like other junipers, leads its genus from cypresses, to the family of which it belongs.
The description of Siberian juniper looks like this - it is a shrub that densely, low spreads. In height, it rarely reaches a meter, more often - no more than half a meter. It grows mainly in the Siberian mountains and in the Far East. In the European part of the Russian Federation, Siberian juniper is found in arctic areas.
Juniper: ordinary and Siberian
While some scientists say that Siberian is actually an ordinary juniper, there are biologists who hold a different position. They believe that in the Russian Arctic, Siberian juniper (the photo and description of the plant suggest the presence of the characteristic features of the subspecies) replaces common juniper, since the second one does not occur in the wild in the Arctic strip.
If in the conditions of the European part of Russia and in the southern regions the cultivation of Siberian juniper is a task that requires attention, since it is necessary to create optimal conditions for the plant, then in the mountainous northern terrain it grows with pleasure in large areas. As a rule, its thickets are observed on rocky areas of mountainous terrain. They grow in placers and rare deciduous places, in the dwarf pine cedar.
Identify by appearance
All varieties of Siberian juniper are similar to each other in appearance - conifers, not exceeding a meter in height. Leaflets look like needles and grow in triples, as biologists say, whorled. The shoots are initially covered with a glossy crust of light brown color. The plant blooms in spring, but mature fruits can only be expected on a two-year-old (and older) shrub. They sing closer to the fall.
Biologically, Siberian juniper is defined as a dioecious plant. It is easiest to determine the male and female plant by the cones. In the first case, they are small, yellowish in color, and on the female bushes below there are hiding scales, and on top there are three more, supplemented with ovules.
When fertilization occurs, the flakes on top grow, merge, turn into a fleshy layer. This is the formation of cone berries. At first, the fruit of the Siberian juniper has a green tint, but with ripening the color changes, and the pine cone turns into black, covered with bluish wax. The bush can grow up to 600 years, and gives a large crop with a frequency of 3-5 years.
Classification Features
Particular attention is paid to different types of juniper in a work written in 1968 by Eric Hulten on Alaskan flora. It also considers plants growing in areas close to Alaska. Here you can find a photo of Siberian juniper. However, this scientist was convinced that in Alaska, Kamchatka and near Magadan, only one species of plant grows - the juniper is an ordinary dwarf subspecies.
But in 1960 in the USSR another work was published by the botanist A. Tolmachev. From his point of view, the Far Eastern, Siberian, western Alaskan territories are the place of growth of Siberian juniper. Hulten indicated this name as synonymous with the term "common juniper."
Where and how it grows
In these areas, juniper is uneven. In particular, it does not exist at all in Chukotka or Wrangel Island, but in Kamchatka and near Magadan the plant can be seen in places. Usually it forms thickets of creeping bushes covering not only rocks, but also slopes strewn with rubble, deciduous forests. Juniper is also found in areas without forests - the subalpine belt.
Pioneers paid very little attention to this plant. For example, in 1856 it was noted that juniper is rare in Okhotka and grows only among deciduous trees, and none of the local population uses its berries. In 1948, they noticed that in Kamchatka juniper is also not used in everyday life, despite the abundance of bushes in this area. In 1862, A. Agentov indicated that it is possible to make fine kvass from juniper berries, but in Kolyma the locals do not use them in the preparation of drinks or in any other way. At the same time, it was noted that juniper grows very much in these parts.
Juniper: natural wealth
Modern scientists know for sure: the berries of this fragrant, beautiful shrub are rich in various components useful to humans. That is why the issues of planting Siberian juniper are of interest not only to workers in the botanical gardens, but also to ordinary people who want to have a source of healthy fruits on hand decorating the garden.
Juniper berries contain a lot of sugar. Studies have shown that its content is greater than predominantly in fruit. In this parameter, the plant is comparable to grapes. True, it is not yet possible to extract sugar from cones, as well as from other fruits cultivated in orchards, but you can prepare drinks and pastries - molasses, marmalade. They make juniper beer and even the best (according to many) vodka in the world - English gin. True, the taste and smell of juniper fruits are somewhat peculiar, which limits their use for confectionery purposes.
Put into practice
Doubt that taking care of Siberian juniper is worth it? Then try once to make a drink according to the recipe below. Surely you will like it so much that it will become an incentive to grow a bush in your farm, if not just one:
- Collect cones, knead them, preserving the integrity of the seeds. Please note: the seeds are bitter, their damage will lead to spoilage of taste.
- Three kilograms of warm water per kilogram.
- The mixture is stirred for a quarter of an hour, then squeeze the juice, removing the pulp.
- Fresh berries are placed in the container one or two more times.
- Thus obtained syrup will consist of sugar for almost a quarter. And if you attach higher technologies here and evaporate the excess liquid by raising the temperature, then the sugar content can reach 60%.
- The liquid is heated to not more than 70 degrees using a steam bath.
Sugar, obtained in this way, is sweeter than usual for us, obtained from beets, about one and a half times. The syrup is applicable for drinks, meat dishes, they can sweeten tea, coffee, use in the preparation of gingerbread, kissel.
Is that all?
Examples of the use of wild juniper for the extraction of sugar are known from history. Mostly such experiments were performed by Germans, British and Dutch.
In 1980, a book was published by A. Koscheev. It also presents quite a few interesting recipes using juniper fruits. For example, you can cook kvass:
- The basis is taken ordinary bread, but five hours before readiness, the fruits of the bush are added to the container.
- For each liter no more than 20 cones.
You can make juniper beer. The proportions are as follows: 200 grams of berries, 25 grams of yeast and two tablespoons of honey account for two liters of liquid.
- First, the berries are boiled for about half an hour, then the liquid is allowed to cool, removing the fruits from it.
- Mix yeast, honey and broth, leave to ferment.
- The resulting beverage is bottled when the yeast rises.
- Then they let it brew for another five days in a cool place where the sun's rays do not fall.
Juniper and medicine
It would be surprising if this wonderful plant did not find its use as a folk medicine. The hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt testify to the fact that it was used in medicine. In earlier times, resins, balms, and healing oils were made from it.
Juniper was also valued as a medicine in ancient Rome, where Dioscorides used it. In Italy in the 16th century, this shrub used Mattioli in its medical practice, arguing that it was perhaps the best uterine, diuretic medicine. For patients with gout, he recommended taking a bath with juniper.
Features of growing at home
Planting Siberian juniper in the spring is not a very difficult task. The plant is quite unpretentious, takes root on almost any soil, including in the presence of fine earth on a rocky substrate.
Can be planted on peaty areas. True, with all its endurance, the shrub grows slowly. But the result is worth it - the plant is beautiful, decorative, highly regarded, as the needles have two shades. It is actively used for alpine hills, stunted groups.
Berry picking is considered a problematic, laborious task. Gardeners have developed the following method: under the plant they lay fabric and shake branches from which ripe berries fly. For further use, they need to be dried. It is recommended to use rooms with artificial ventilation for this. Do not dry the cones in the light.
In the fall, they collect branches, needles. You can harvest the greens in the spring, waiting for the end of the period of active growth.
Juniper breeding
Siberian juniper can be propagated by seed. Decorative varieties are also reserved for cuttings. Only ripe seeds germinate. You can determine the ripeness by the presence of a bluish wax coating. Seeds are immersed in the ground no deeper than three centimeters.
Juniper care is generally not difficult. Young plants can not be loosened and weed, because it is easy to damage the roots. In winter, their surface is covered with needles. This drives away field mice, for which juniper roots are a real treat.
An adult plant is resistant to sunlight, mechanical damage. The bush recovers surprisingly quickly.
We plant correctly
Juniper is recommended to be planted in the spring, but this condition is not mandatory. No need to wait until warm weather sets in, as the bush is resistant to cold. But when planting a young plant in the fall, it is likely that during the winter the bush that does not have time to take root will freeze.
It is easiest to plant juniper grown in a container. When transplanting such a plant, the root system does not suffer, so adaptation in a new place takes little time. Therefore, from the container, the bush can be planted both in spring and autumn, without fear of freezing in winter.
It is recommended to do this in the sunny area. However, the juniper tolerates a slight shadow. The level of lighting determines how beautiful the plant will be. The bigger the sun, the more fluffy, richer the plant. The difference is most pronounced when growing varieties with two needles in needles.
Care Tips
Siberian juniper grows better if the soil is alkaline. When planting a bush, you can put slaked lime, dolomite flour at the bottom of the pit.
Care must be taken to drainage, since stagnant water ruins the plant almost immediately. Especially carefully equip the drainage, if the terrain is characterized by an increased level of groundwater.
Transplanting of bushes growing in the fresh air is carried out in the winter. They are dug up, leaving a large frozen piece of land at the root. This allows you to keep the roots intact.
For a young plant, a pit is prepared with dimensions of a meter per meter, in depth - half a meter. However, there is an indispensable condition: the pit should be 3 times larger than the lump of land placed in it. If the root system of the young juniper turned out to be large, then the pit needs to be made bigger.
Burying the bush, leave the root neck alone. In the pit, the seedling is set carefully so that the neck is not sprinkled with earth. The soil is poured under the root until the neck is at ground level.
For the first time, juniper is watered when only planted. Soil thoroughly soaked under the root ball of soil. Near the trunk, the earth is mulched so that moisture persists for a long time. Use coniferous bark, peat crumbs, sawdust, shavings.