This tree is widespread throughout the world. Trembling poplar (Aspen vulgaris) is found everywhere. Nevertheless, this powerful beautiful tree did not become a favorite of landscapers and gardeners. Even its rapid growth, few consider it a virtue.
The reason for this negative attitude towards the tree is poplar fluff, which causes many problems to people. Today we will present trembling poplar (poplar genus). This is one of the representatives of a large family, which includes about 90 species. All are divided into six sections.
1. Abaso (Mexican Poplars): Mexican Poplar.
2. Aigeiros (deltoid poplars):
- osokor (black poplar);
- deltoid;
- pyramidal;
- bolle.
3. Leucoides (left-sided poplars):
- variegated;
- white (or silver);
- trembling (or aspen).
4. Tacamahaca (balsamic poplars):
- balsamic;
- laurel-leaved;
- Poplar Maximovich.
5. Turanga: Turanga Euphrates.
6. Hybrids:
- Berlin
- Moscow;
- Canadian.
Trembling poplar: description
This is a dioecious deciduous tree with a powerful, well-developed root system. Trembling poplar (Latin - Pópulus trémula) grows up to 35 meters in height and lives up to 90 years. The young plant has a gray-green bark, smooth. Over time, it darkens and becomes covered with small cracks. The branches are long, with small, sticky, spiky buds.
Leaves
Trembling poplar (family of willow) is densely covered with alternating, rounded, long-leaved leaves with cirrus venation. Their length is from 3 to 7 cm, the upper surface is green, bluish below, along the edge are uneven large teeth.
In autumn, the leaves become bright yellow or reddish-brown. Pay attention to the trembling poplar (aspen). Even in completely calm, calm weather, its leaves are constantly in motion, trembling. This mobility is due to flattened petioles, thinner in the center than at the edges.
Bloom
Trembling poplar (photo you can see in the article) blooms in the last decade of April or in early May (depending on the region of growth). The tree is covered with earrings: massive male (stamen) up to 15 cm long and thinner, smaller, variegated female. Flowers of both types are simple. They have no perianth. In male flowers there are 5-8 stamens and red anthers, and female flowers have only a pistil with two stigmas. Flowering continues until the leaves bloom completely.
Fruit
Ripening occurs about thirty days after flowering. They are revealed in early June. These are bivalve boxes with a large number of small seeds, which are equipped with fluffy tufts of hairs. A thousand poplar seeds weigh tenths of a gram. They fly easily over long distances.
Root system
Trembling poplar - a tree with a powerful root system. Broken seeds begin to sprout in just a few hours, falling on moist soil. The seed coat bursts, two tiny cotyledons appear. About a day later, a root appears in the seed.
By autumn, the plant is a small stalk (no more than a pencil) and a stem root, the length of which reaches 30 cm. It should be noted that the trembling poplar (aspen) grows very quickly, especially in the early years. By the age of 20, the tree grows up to 10 meters, and by the age of 40, its height reaches its maximum size.
In the early years, the poplar has a more pronounced core root. Over time, it slows down growth and soon completely stops growing. During this period, the lateral processes begin to grow actively. They lie shallow, in the upper layer of the soil, they depart quite far from the mother plant and give copious growth. Shoots are growing rapidly - in the first year they already reach a height of 50 cm.
Spread
Trembling poplar is quite widespread. Its range is Eurasia, the mountainous regions of North Africa. Most of the range falls on the territory of our country. In Russia, aspen is ubiquitous. In the north, it grows up to the borders of the forest with the tundra, in the south - to the arid steppes.
In the forest-steppe, poplar trembling forms island groves. On saline soils can take a bushy shape. In the Alps grows in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 2000 meters above sea level. The tree is photophilous, therefore, if other trees obscure the poplar, it dies. Often aspen becomes an admixture in birch forests.
Growing conditions
Trembling poplar is unpretentious to soils and climatic conditions. Nevertheless, it is more actively developing on fertile, mineral-rich, well-aerated soils.
Use of poplar
A fast-growing tree with a beautiful decorative crown is used in landscape design. Almost all of its many varieties are great for single landings, and for group. Everyone knows that poplar alleys are a classic of park landscapes.
Trembling poplar is a real air filter that has found application in urban landscaping, as well as as a forest-forming species. Its wood is used in many industries - in the furniture, paper industry, construction.
Fine natural dyes are made from poplar leaves and inflorescences. The kidneys are used in traditional medicine. Aspen wood is light, soft, but not very durable. Therefore, most often it is used for the manufacture of household items (shovels, buckets, spoons, other dug-up utensils). Plywood and wood chips (shingles) are made from it, which is used in roofing production. In sparsely forested areas, poplar wood is used as a building material for the construction of farm buildings.
But one cannot fail to say that it is easily affected by fungi that cause rot, so it is not recommended to use such material for the construction of residential buildings.
Aspen wood has found wide application in the production of matches. How did poplar attract manufacturers of much-needed products? In this case, its main advantage was taken into account - the absence of tannins and resins in the wood, which, when burned, give an odor. In addition, it is very light, burns perfectly, without soot, in a dry state. Match manufacturers also appreciated that poplar wood is cracking in the right direction.
Aspen bark has a bitter taste, but this does not prevent it from being used as feed for game animals. With pleasure gnaw the bark from young trees of moose. Hares prefer to clean it from fallen trunks.
During flowering, bees collect pollen and resinous fluid from the flowers from the flowers, turning it into propolis.
Diseases and Pests
The most common diseases of trembling poplar are some types of necrosis and tree cancer. In this case, the affected trees must be eliminated, and the remaining stumps treated with fuel oil with creosol.
Young poplar seedlings are sometimes exposed to fungal diseases. Forestry and agrotechnical measures are used against them, they try to reduce soil moisture. Pests of poplar are a large number of insects that lay larvae on the leaves. Insecticides are used in pest control. But before choosing the necessary drug, it is necessary to find out exactly which pest attacked the tree.
Medicinal properties and application
In traditional medicine, trembling poplar (aspen) has not yet found use. And in traditional medicine it has been used for a long time and very successfully. For the manufacture of medical preparations, traditional healers use bark, leaves, and kidneys.
Perhaps not everyone knows that in paganism, aspen was considered a tree full of vitality - its leaves always rustle, as if they were having a leisurely conversation. That’s why they began to consider this tree as salvation from all evil spirits. Thanks to numerous horror films and our contemporaries, it became known that it is necessary to fight with vampires with the help of an aspen stake.
Traditional healers claim that drugs based on aspen (trembling poplar) have painkillers, diuretics and anti-inflammatory properties. The buds and bark of the tree contain bitter glycosides, tannins, benzoic acid. Alcoholic extract from poplar buds has a bactericidal effect on some types of dangerous microbes (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus). The buds are usually harvested in the spring, they are collected from young trees.
Kidney infusion
Aspen kidneys can be infused with vodka, but it is better to use 70 percent alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. The infusion is prepared within seven days. This tincture is recommended for use in chronic and acute cystitis, with rheumatism and padagra. Dilute 25-30 drops of the product in a third of a glass of water and take it three times a day after meals.
Decoctions
The decoction of the greenish young bark, according to the doctors and the reviews of their patients, favorably affects the inflamed bladder and kidneys. Make it simple: a spoon (tablespoon) of dry crushed bark is poured into 250 ml of water and the resulting mixture is boiled for fifteen minutes over low heat under a lid. Take two tablespoons (tablespoons) three times a day (before meals).
For coughs, colds, a different composition is used as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Pour one spoonful of dry bark with two glasses of water and boil for half an hour. Allow the product to brew for at least three hours.
Decoction of leaves
A very effective vitamin decoction is prepared from aspen leaves. To do this, you need one part of dry chopped leaves, which must be filled with four parts of boiling water. The mixture was brought to a boil and left over low heat for fifteen minutes. Then it must be cooled, add a few drops of lemon and take a tablespoon four times a day.
You need to know that a decoction of leaves collected in the autumn contains almost half as much vitamin C as spring and even summer foliage.
Bark tincture
Folk doctors of different countries recommend that patients suffering from prostatic hypertrophy take alcohol tincture. Pour five tablespoons of dry bark of 0.5 liters of vodka and put for two weeks to insist in a dark place. An important detail - the young bark should be collected in early spring, when it still has a greenish color.
Take this composition on a dessert spoon twice a day, before meals. Thus, you can insist and kidneys. Tincture of them is taken twenty drops three times a day.
