Such berries as raspberries, currants, strawberries and blackberries are known to all. But when it comes to kumanik, few people understand what it is. Even people who have garden plots do not always know about it. But in fact, this is a fairly common, long-known and useful plant. The kumanik berry is similar to the blackberry and is a variety of it. It can be found in the forest or grown on your site. With proper care, you can enjoy these tasty and he althy berries for a long time.
What is brambles
The photo of this plant can mislead any inexperienced gardener. After all, it is very similar to blackberries and raspberries. In fact, the kumanika is a subspecies of the blackberry. It belongs to the rose family. This is a shrub plant with erect shoots and large black-red berries. Kumanika is also called Ness blackberry. In some places it is known asbrawberry, sundew or turquoise.
The shoots of this plant are straight, only slightly flexible at the ends, covered with rare sharp thorns. Branches can grow up to 3.5 meters, but usually the shrub is one to two meters high. In July-August, it is covered with large black berries. They are multi-pitted, like blackberries, but do not separate from the stalk.
Difference from blackberry
The description of the blackberry berry can be misleading for many. Although it is a subspecies of the blackberry and is very similar to it, it has a lot in common with raspberries. Kumanika has the following distinctive features:
- shoots upright, inflexible, cannot take root like blackberries;
- thorns on the shoots are rare, straight, not bent at the ends;
- leaves are complex, consist of five to seven leaves, and not three, like a blackberry;
- berries are larger and without a bluish bloom, have a purple-black or red-black color.
Where does the brambleberry grow?
This plant is distributed throughout European Russia, except for northern latitudes. It also grows in Europe, Scandinavia and the Caucasus. It prefers sandy, moist soils, so it can often be found in floodplains, near swamps. It grows well in damp pine or birch forests, forming dense thickets. Grows on the edges or in the thick of shrubs, well fixes the slopes of ravines and screes. You can meet the kumaniku berry on the banks of rivers and lakes, along roadsides. It is also common to grow it in gardens.plots. For this, different varieties are used: Apaches, Lawton, Ebony, Darrow, Guy and others. They are quite productive, and the berries are larger than wild brambles.
Features of growing and harvesting
Cumanica berry grows well in the wild, but recently it has often been grown in household plots. This plant is propagated mainly by cuttings. It is a shrub type, so when planting, you need to leave about one meter between the cuttings. Kumanika is shade-tolerant, can withstand frosts up to 20 ° C, but does not tolerate drought. When caring for it, regular pruning is very important, do it annually.
Almost all parts of the plant are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Leaves and flowers are harvested during flowering, berries - as they ripen. Depending on the variety and growing characteristics, it is possible to collect from a bush from four to ten kg per season. Roots for medicinal purposes are dug up in November or spring, before the start of sap flow. The roots and leaves are dried in the shade, the berries can be frozen.
Application and useful properties
The most commonly used berry is kumanika. Compotes, jams, jelly are made from it, consumed fresh or dried. But this plant is also used for medicinal purposes. The roots and leaves are especially prized. There are many tannins, flavonoids, pectins, polysaccharides, organic acids, minerals and vitamins in any parts of the plant. Roots possessanti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, and a delicious and he althy tea is prepared from the leaves. They can also be used externally - they have a hemostatic and wound healing effect.
Cumanica berries themselves have general strengthening and tonic properties. They improve metabolic processes and the functioning of the digestive tract. In folk medicine, decoctions from this plant are widely used for gastritis, peptic ulcer, colds, and neuroses. Kumanika is useful for diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, joint diseases, insomnia, impaired functioning of the kidneys and intestines. Leaf tea and fresh fruit juice perfectly quench thirst, and also have a tonic and tonic effect.
