For Russians, no tree native birch.The word appeared in VII century from the verb "to protect".For the ancient Slavic symbol of fertility and the protector of the people was a deity - Keeper, they were in the form of birch.In all likelihood, the name of the tree has come to us since ancient times.Do you know how many and what types of birch trees grow in Russia?Today we will find out.
Description
Many birches are trees, reaching a height of 30 to 45 meters in girth trunk grows to 150 centimeters, though there are large and small shrubs, including prostrate, barely raised above the ground.All members of the family Birch are monoecious, dioecious, wind-pollinated plants.
root system of trees of this kind of powerful, can be both surface and obliquely extending deep into the (depending on growing conditions).Fading taproot seedling happens fairly quickly, but the side with a huge amount of fine roots mochkovidnyh developing rapidly.In the early years of the birch it grows very slowly, but eventually begins to Prytkov strive upward, gaining victory over the grassy vegetation.
bark of most species of white, yellow, pink or reddish-brown color, although there are varieties with gray, brown and even black outer part of the trunk.The cells are filled with cork fabric peelable betulin (gummy white solid).Do trees centenarians often at the bottom of the barrel, you can see the dark crust with lots of deep cracks.
Leaves alternate members of the family Birch, toothed on the edges, entire, ovate-rhombic or triangular-ovate, smooth, monosimmetricheskie in length up to 7 centimeters in width - 4.
Types birches in Russia
We reviewed the general description of the representatives of this kind.Now I would like to highlight some of the varieties in more detail.Do you know how many species of birch exists in the world?Biologists have about 120 species of slender, belostvolnyh, light wood, while in Russia grows about 65 varieties, differing in some features.No wonder it has become a symbol of our birch country.
addition to the usual blond trees with long earrings, there turns out to be completely different shape varieties.The most common such kinds of birches in Russia, Drooping and fluffy, though there are in our country and bark yellow, violet, cherry, gray, brown and black.In these unique trees as only experienced botanists will be able to identify the genus of birch.So, for example, in the Far Eastern taiga growing shaggy bark of a birch bark instead.Also here there are trees with dark purple outer part of the trunk.This type is called iron birch hardwood thanks to strength which is second only to bokkautu (tree growing in the tropics).
Betula pendula
As we have said, is a symbol of Russian birch.Types and varieties of the most common trees in our country, we will consider in the article.And start with birch (warty).This tree can reach a height of 30 meters with a trunk diameter of 60-80 centimeters.It is characterized by delicate krona, with hanging down runaways, snow-white or grayish-white bark various cracks, the form of which depends on the type of bark.The bottom of the barrel may form a rough rind.Birch with a diamond-shape fractured growing rapidly, respectively, grubokoroy - slowly.The main feature of this species - the presence of small growths, called warts on young branches.The most valuable variety of Karelian birch is considered.
Betula pubescens
Downy Birch is a straight-trunk tree to open up branches, smooth bark of white or grayish color and hanging down young shoots.Especially prized birch burls.
betula pubescens occurs in almost all areas, with the exception of the extreme northern and southern areas, where there are shrub species of birch.Description of the territory of growing trees: the most common types of birch trees often grow in the same park, despite the fact that environmental characteristics they are different;for birch preferred dry place on the hill, while fluffy - wetlands;sometimes found in marshy areas.These types of birch trees grow well with deciduous and coniferous trees.
Mini trees
What types of birch trees, besides the aforementioned varieties on open spaces of our country?In addition to the Khingan of tall trees in the mountains of Russia grow dwarf birch.Some species are found in the Altai Mountains, and mountainous areas of Central Asia.Botany has about 12 species of dwarf trees growing around the world.So, for example, in the Altai can admire the small-leaved birch, in the Pamir-Altay - Altay and Turkestan, and Tien Shan - Sapozhnikov birch and Tien Shan.
Dwarf trees in our country occur in the far north, especially in the treeless landscape area subarctic zone of the northern hemisphere with a typical moss-lichen tundra vegetation and mountainous eastern Siberia.The most common include dwarf birch dwarf, lean, Middendorf birch and Komarov.
Some species are so small that they are inferior in height, boletus mushrooms.In certain areas, you can find dwarf trees, appearance is more like a shrub birch Kuzmischeva, Gmelin, undersized, kustranikovaya, ovalnolistnaya and the Far East.It grows mainly in lesotudrovyh zones, swampy areas of the forest.
Birch Daurian
Temnokorye tree species common in the Far East, though some of them can be admired in Eastern Siberia.These include birch, Daurian.Tree with openwork foliage grows up to 25 m in height.The main difference from other species - the original bark: the young birches she pinkish hue, the old - dark gray, rarely black and brown, cracked along the grain.Birch bark may occasionally flake and partially fall off, the remaining part that hangs scraps, creates the effect of curl.Dark green leaves of birch dahurica (black) oval acquire the autumn yellow-brown hue.Flowering begins immediately after blooming leaves.The growing season is shorter than in other species.
Birchwood
In the mountains of the Black Sea coast south of Tuapse, and Riona pool there are small forests of birch Medvedev.Thanks to the good rooting branches, this species often grows on the slopes of the rooted shoots formed new subsidiaries trees.
extraordinary views from the grove, formed birch Radde with red and pink birch bark.The only representative in Russia sharp trees - birch Maksimovic, found only on the southern island of Kunashir Island (Kuril ridge).
Moscow Collection
in the Main Botanical Garden of the capital from the entire collection are distinguished by only two kinds of North American temnokoryh trees.As they do not like our Khingan kinds of birches!Only the presence of numerous earrings, typical of this plant, suggest that this is a sister of our Birch.Also, there are trees with shiny golden birch bark.This is one of the North American species.
Now you know how many species of birch trees growing around the globe, and that Russia has become the richest species composition birches country.
