Princes, like clematis, belong to the family Ranunculaceae. They are very similar to each other and some botanists believe that both plants belong to the same genus - Clematis. Their difference lies only in the fact that princes have flowers with petals, while clematis do not. In Russia, there are the prince of Siberia (photos of this plant are presented below), the prince of Okhotsk and large-lobed. Flowers are drooping, axillary, wide-bell-shaped, up to 10 cm in diameter.
The Siberian prince is a shrubby vine that is able to rise 3 m in height with the help of twisted leaf petioles. From June to July, large white flowers appear on it, and from August to September, wide-wedge-shaped fruits ripen. In the natural habitat it can be found in Siberia, in the forests of Karelia and the upper Volga, in the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains. The prince of Siberia loves to grow on forest edges, on the banks of streams and rivers, as well as on rocky sediments and rocky slopes. In reserves, this plant is protected and grown in European botanical gardens.
If you decide to have a prince of Siberia in your garden, then you should choose a sunny place for it, but it is desirable that it be slightly obscured during the hot season. The slope can be south, east, southeast or southwest, and its slope should not exceed 50 ºС. Since the plant has very delicate flowers and stems, the planting must be protected from the winds. However, at the same time, the Siberian liana is frost-resistant and even in the northern regions of the European part of Russia, it calmly winters without shelter.
In general, the prince of Siberia is an unpretentious plant that lives on any soil, with the exception of only wetlands and waterlogged places. Of course, it is desirable that it be loose, well-drained and light earth. Fertile, neutral, or slightly alkaline loam is best suited for creepers. It is preferable to plant a plant in spring, the distance between tall representatives should be at least 1.5 m, and smaller ones can be placed at a distance of 70-100 cm.
Already rooted seedlings and cuttings (two-year olds) are best suited for planting, as they tolerate this procedure well. Before planting, you first need to cut off all the shoots that are above the first or second pair of buds. The prince has very fragile roots, and they quite often break. All damaged parts should be cut off, and the rest sprinkled with ash or charcoal, can be treated with weak potassium permanganate. In adult plants, the root neck is deepened by 10 cm, and in young ones by 5-8 cm. In the northern regions this will warn against freezing, and in the southern ones from overheating in the hot period. The buds that appeared in the first year of planting should be removed so that the plant is better taken root.
You need to know that this liana has several names: forest prince, wild hops, leafy climbing liana, ataman grass. The prince of Siberia is actively used in the treatment of certain diseases, especially he is appreciated in Mongolian medicine. It is used for edema, metabolic disorders, liver diseases, tuberculosis, tumors, dropsy. It is also used as a means of strengthening and improving vision. However, it should be remembered that the ataman-herb is a poisonous plant, and it must be consumed strictly for the intended purpose and under the supervision of the attending physician.
