The plant kingdom is not the most numerous on planet Earth, but it is definitely its real decoration. The variety of shapes and colors is simply amazing. A properly selected collection of plants planted in our garden or apartment makes our life cozy and beautiful. Moreover, it is the eternal source of our food, the basis for the production of many medicines. They let us dress up, build houses, and more.
Among the variety of flowering plants of the dicotyledonous class, the Heather family plays.
General Description
Representatives of the family live in almost all corners of the globe. Only arid steppes with deserts are inaccessible to them. They prefer acidic, moist soils. Almost always they are in symbiosis with representatives of another kingdom - hornbeams. The mutual exchange of useful substances allows both representatives of wildlife to develop successfully.
Representatives of the Heather family are known for such popular berries aslingonberries, blueberries, blueberries or cranberries. Summer residents love to decorate their gardens with callia, pieris, podbel and many other ornamental plants. They are loved both for the beauty of flowers and for the decorative appearance of shrubs of the Heather family.
On the territory of Russia, they are mainly represented by shrubs and shrubs. Less common are perennial herbs. The only strawberry tree grows only on the Black Sea coast.
Let's get acquainted with some representatives of this family.
Wild Rosemary
Podbel, aka wild rosemary or Andromeda, migrated from the tundra to gardeners - a short, evergreen shrub with beautiful pink flowers that look like lanterns. Blooms from April to June. Sometimes buds may appear again, already in the fall. Develops slowly. Growth no more than 3 cm per year. But on favorable acidic soil with good mushroom neighbors, podbel forms a dense beautiful carpet.
You need to be careful with this genus of the Heather family. Its leaves contain a substance that causes excitation of the central nervous system, which can be fatal. But when used properly, the leaves can be used to treat rheumatism, pulmonary tuberculosis, and are also useful in some gynecological diseases.
Strawberry tree
In the south of the country, the gardens are decorated with a no less famous representative of the Vvereskov family - the strawberry tree. The greatest diversity of these plants can be observed on the Mediterranean coast and South America. Our Black Sea coast of the Caucasus also boasts of these beautiful plants. Bright ripe fruits give them the greatest decorative effect.
The plant loves the sun, resistant to drought. Under favorable conditions, a tree can live for a very long time. Scientists know of several specimens that are over 1000 years old. It is hard to imagine how many events took place under the crowns of these giants.
The hard, durable wood of the strawberry tree is popular in the manufacture of many joinery products. But just like in the leaves of andromeda, but already in the bark, it contains the poisonous substance andromedotoxin. This often results in the death of goats and other bark-eating animals.
Arcteria dwarf
This plant looks very decorative in landscape design with stone slides Far Eastern representative of the Heather family, a creeping shrub unique in its structure - dwarf arctery. Inflorescences of white or pale pink water lily flowers against a carpet of small leaves look beautiful.
The arctic genus is represented by the only species that was first described in Russia in 1872. The plant is found in our Far East and in Japan. The height of an adult bush rarely reaches 15 centimeters. Short branches and small leaves form a dense carpet. Fruits keep on a bush from a year and more. Arcteria fully develops only by the age of 20 and can live for a very long time. Theoretically, by updating branches, it canexist forever.
Bear vine
It is worth paying attention to an interesting genus of shrubs of the Heather family - bearberry or bear vine (sometimes the name bear grapes is used). In folk medicine, the healing properties of tea from the leaves of this shrub are well known. Most often it is used in the treatment of cystitis. Today, bearberry is easy to buy in pharmacies under the trade name Uriflorin.
Interestingly, Russian craftsmen used the branches of this shrub in the production of morocco.
Moorlands
Practically every resident of the country, traveling to nature, saw large fields of pink-purple inflorescences.
This plant blooms almost all summer, displacing all competitors from its territory. The most common plant from the Heather family forms a separate genus Heather, with a single species of the same name. At the same time, it is found everywhere both in Eurasia and in America. Grows in North Africa and on some islands.
Evergreen shrub is an excellent autumn honey plant. Heather honey is considered a good antiseptic. It is used for many diseases, including bronchial asthma and the treatment of bladder stones. Useful for gout and rheumatism. Homeopaths often use a tincture on the flowers of this plant. It is a valuable raw material in the medical industry.
The format of the article does not allow describing all representatives of the Vereskov family. Almost all of them have a decorative look and can be an adornment of anygarden.
The healing properties of these plants and their economic importance have been known for many centuries. Many shrubs grow in the most difficult conditions of the Arctic climate, while producing very useful fruits. Suffice it to recall lingonberries or cranberries, which have no equal in terms of the content of useful substances.
