What is a swamp, of course, each of us knows. Swamp, an impenetrable deceptive space that draws in, does not allow a traveler who has got here to get out.
People's belief claims that high marsh grass hides insidious creatures - kikimore, water and mermaids, which do not allow anyone to escape. But in fact, the swamp is an amazing world in which dozens of types of medicinal herbs grow, as well as such delicious and he althy berries and mushrooms. This is a storehouse of peat and a reliable storage of water reserves for rivers and lakes. Let's go to the swamp and see what grows on this waterlogged land.
How are swamps formed?
Swamps arise in two ways: in the process of overgrowing a reservoir or as a result of land swamping. Overgrowing of ponds, lakes and oxbow lakes is the most frequent occurrence in our natural environment.
And if the banks of the reservoir are low and gentle, then it will overgrowconcentric circles. At the deepest depth (as a rule, about 6 m), the bottom will be covered with a thick carpet of algae, at a smaller depth, a natural water filter, the hornwort, will settle, and the narrow-leaved pondweed will stick out its spicate inflorescences above the surface. Even closer to the shore, water lilies will open their snow-white petals, and more modest yellow capsules will sway nearby. Their rhizomes are hidden in silt at a depth of up to 4 m, and their broad leaves float on the water.
Reeds, horsetail, as well as large and small sedge grow at a depth of 1.5 m. Due to the fact that the water near the coast warms up well, marsh grasses here are very diverse. These are susak, arrowhead, urchin, ranunculus, nether, ditty, marsh iris - their growth belt adjoins the very shore.
Deposits from the remains of these plants lead to the fact that the reservoir becomes shallower over time, and the plants move closer to the center, closing in a tight ring around the open water. In the end, the time comes when the pond turns into a sedge swamp.
What are the types of swamps?
Depending on which marsh grass or other plants prevail in a particular swamp, they are divided into different types.
- This could be sphagnum bogs (also called peat bogs). The main plant on them is sphagnum moss, which forms peat cushions in the process of growth.
- There are also swamps dominated by sedge. Other herbs also grow there. Such swamps are called grassy or, in other words, lowlands.
- And swamps, where not only perennial grasses grow, but alsovarious trees and shrubs are classified as forest.
In addition, they are divided, depending on their location, into upland, lowland and transitional.
Low swamps and grass growing on them
Lowlands are swamps typical of river floodplains. As a rule, they are rich in mineral s alts, and the ash content of peat and the degree of its decomposition are the highest here. Swamp grass, which is very diverse, feels great in this landscape. Sedge, horsetail, hemlock, cinquefoil, calla, chastukha - this is just a small list of plants that inhabit lowland swamps.
With the first rays of the spring sun, marsh marigold reveals its bright yellow flowers in lowland swamps. In nature, there are more than 40 species of this primrose. The fleshy, rounded leaves and dense petals of the named flower have a pearlescent sheen that attracts insects in early spring, trying to climb the bud heated by the sun. And this, in turn, greatly increases the chances of marigold for successful pollination. Marigold is used as a medicinal plant for the treatment of whooping cough, herpes and bronchitis. This herb has also worked well for painful periods.
By the way, while admiring the marigold, we must not forget that this flower is unsafe, or rather, poisonous, and improperly prepared infusions from it can be toxic.
About marsh cinquefoil and calla
Not only marigold can boast of its healingproperties. Marsh cinquefoil grass, also growing here – is a real storehouse of usefulness. Its rhizome contains a large amount of tannins, and the plant itself is rich in carbohydrates, mineral s alts, ascorbic acid, carotene, as well as flavonoids and essential oils. All this makes cinquefoil very useful as an anti-inflammatory, wound healing and diaphoretic.
The cinquefoil hibernates with a creeping rhizome located deep in the soil, which shoots with pinnate leaves and large flowers, in the form of spiky cinquefoils, painted in blood red.
Many swamp herbs are used as medicinal plants, but the calla, which blooms in the swamp until mid-summer, cannot be attributed to them. This amazingly beautiful flower, sparkling with lacquer leaves and looking like a small calla (which, by the way, is a close relative), is very poisonous. Moreover, absolutely all parts of it are poisonous, starting from the root, the flour from which, however, in the hungry years, the peasants, after special processing, added to rye flour, and ending with bright red fleshy berries.
How does a lowland swamp turn into a highland swamp?
No matter how a swamp arises, at first it goes through a low-lying stage, well supplied with groundwater. Over time, grass cover begins to grow here on the bumps and around the stumps. This gradually raises the surface of the swamp, and it slowly breaks away from the groundwater.
Nowthe elevated places of this section of the landscape can receive water only from the atmosphere in the form of rain and snow. And those plants that put up with a lack of minerals, for example, cranberries, perennial marsh grass - cotton grass, cassandra, etc., will be able to settle here. Such a swamp will now be classified as transitional. Gradually, its entire surface will be torn off from groundwater, and the swamp will turn into a riding one.
High bog plants
Raised bogs are most often formed on watersheds. Water reserves here are replenished mainly by atmospheric precipitation, and because of this, mineral s alts in peat are presented in much smaller quantities than in lowland bogs. The dominant plants on their territory are sphagnum mosses. In addition to them, there are rosemary, podbel, cassandra, blueberries, cloudberries, round-leaved sundew, various sedges and other marsh grasses.
One of the most popular plants in marshy places is cloudberry. By the way, this is the name of the plant itself, and its fruits. In ancient times, it was known as marsh amber or royal berry. Similar in shape to raspberries, cloudberries still have a special sweet and sour wine taste and spicy smell. Unripe berries are red, while ripe ones become orange, almost transparent, like an elegant piece of pure amber.
Vitamin C in the named berry is 3 times more than in the famous orange, according to the content of vitamin A, cloudberries will give odds to carrots. And in terms of healing qualities, it has no equal among marsh plants.
Marsh wild rosemary grass
On upland and transitional bogs forms lush thickets of an evergreen shrub from the Heather family - wild rosemary. This plant is also medicinal, but you need to be extremely careful with it - wild rosemary is very poisonous! With its strong, intoxicating, camphor-like odor, it causes dizziness, nausea, and headaches.
This poisonous marsh grass is harvested only with the help of mittens and respirators. But properly collected wild rosemary is an effective expectorant, enveloping and antitussive agent. In addition, it has hypotensive, sedative and anti-spastic properties.
Rosyanka rotundifolia
Perhaps the most amazing inhabitant of raised bogs is round-leaved sundew. This marsh grass is a carnivorous plant whose leaf blade is covered with numerous glandular hairs, each with a drop of sticky liquid at the tip.
Dewdrops, so similar to dew, shining in the rays of the morning sun, attract the attention of potential victims. They contain sugar and look like a great treat, but are actually sticky goo.
This swamp grass has unusually sensitive leaves that react to even the slightest touch of an insect and immediately begin to move, generously covering it with sticky "dew". The movement of the leaf is directed towards the center, the immobilized victim slides there and ends up next to the digestive villi. The edges of the sheet graduallyclose, and it all turns into a kind of microstomach. After only the outer skeleton remains of the insect, the leaf straightens again, waiting for a new victim.
A little more about marsh herbs
As you have probably already seen, marsh herbs, photos of which are posted in the article, have not only medicinal qualities, but may turn out to be poisonous. This is the main means of self-preservation in the plant world - a bitter taste, a pungent smell, as well as an increased content of resins, acids and essential oils. And marsh plants, forced to live in especially difficult conditions, most often turn out to be poisonous. In addition to those mentioned above, the poisonous ones also include milestones (hemlock), common boletus, horsetail, mytnik and marsh triostrennik, buttercup, black root officinalis and many others.
But we repeat once again - this does not prevent them from being medicinal and saving people from many serious ailments. The main thing is to be vigilant and in no case exceed the dosages indicated for the preparation of medicinal infusions or herbal decoctions, which the swamp generously gives us.
