The burning bush is an amazing plant; mention of it is found in the Bible and ancient manuscripts. It justifies its name, since in the summer heat, in the absence of wind, the plant is enveloped in a light haze, which a lit match ignites, while the plant itself does not suffer at all. Such an unusual phenomenon occurs due to the evaporation of the essential oils formed in all the aboveground parts of the dome.
According to official classification, this plant is called dictamnus. And in everyday life it is called wild anise and ash-tree. Imperishable dome - a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the root family. In diameter, it can reach 1 m at a height of 80 cm. Its roots are powerful, woody. The stems are straight, strong, branched in the upper part, sticky to the touch. Leaves are pinnate, similar in shape to leaves of ash (hence one of the names).
The habitat of this plant is quite wide, from the Mediterranean up to the Far East. In the wild, ash trees grow among shrubs, on the edges of forests, rocky rocks.
The burning bush is unpretentious, rather frost-resistant. It grows seamlessly in sunny places and in partial shade, both on poor soils and on cultivated ones. Ash-tree has a characteristic smell, somewhat reminiscent of anise star anise, liked by few people.
This perennial blooms in early July and blooms for a month. A large, wide-open bell with long curved stamens, white or pink, is its flower. The indestructible dome forms racemose loose inflorescences, which beckon them to smell them. But this should not be done, otherwise a headache, weakness and drowsiness will appear. If you touch a plant shrouded in haze, you can get burns with the formation of blisters and a long non-healing wound, after which scars can remain. In cloudy weather, this plant is completely harmless.
Ash can be propagated by seeds, cuttings and division. Seeds ripen by the beginning of autumn, it is better to sow them in the winter, as they do not differ in good germination. In spring or autumn (but not in summer!) You can divide the "bush". The indefinable bush is most easily propagated by non-lignified cuttings, which must be taken “with the heel”. It is advisable to root them after treatment with a root formation stimulator and immediately in a constant place, maintaining a distance of 40 cm, because they do not tolerate a transplant. A plant grown from seeds blooms, as a rule, in the fourth year, and from cuttings it can please bloom the very next year.
Despite the fact that the dome is indestructible - a poisonous plant, it is widely used in folk and traditional medicine. With its help, depression, allergies, respiratory infections, tropical malaria, scabies, epilepsy are treated and the worms are expelled. However, self-medication is not worth it. It is also used in cooking. In Georgia, for example, seasonings for meat and snacks are made from its flowers.
In landscape design, ash is used both in mixborders and in a single landing. It gets along well with dry-loving plants such as daylilies, monarda, geyhera, etc. Given the peculiarity of the plant, do not plant it near the tracks, especially for those who have small children and pets. Perhaps he does not need to be planted at all on his site, but to admire from afar.
