- Tree Description
- Basic properties
- natural medicine
- soil improvement
- Application in construction
- Aspen on the plot
- What options exist?
Aspen mainly grows in the central strip of Russia, Transbaikalia, the Vologda region. Medicines and animal feed are made from some parts of the tree. Aspen is used in landscape design. An adult plant is a good honey plant, building material.
Tree Description
Common aspen, or trembling, reaches a height of 35 m. Usually the trunk is straight, columnar. up to one meter in diameter. The bark is thin, smooth to the touch, gray-olive in color. With age, lenticels form on it, resembling a black rhombus in shape (see photo). The tree is frost-resistant, grows well on moist acidified soils, in shady places.
From other genera, species, for example, it differs in the shape of leaves, flowers that appear in early spring. The leaves are rounded-rhombic, with a serrated frame, the width is greater than the length. The cuttings are thin, flattened, so the leaves easily touch each other. Aspen trembles in the wind. The front side of the leaves is shiny, bright green, the back is matte, but slightly lighter. Leaves of the lower order are larger, up to 15 cm in length, have a pointed top, heart-shaped, serrate-toothed framing along the edge, pubescent on the underside. The leaves of young shoots are more like the leaves of poplars.
Flowers appear on the trees in spring. The shape is similar to earrings, bisexual. Women's light green, men's bright purple. Seed pods form in autumn. After maturation, the boxes open, the seeds, which have a crest, are carried by the wind.
Application
The bark can be harvested for the winter, used for food. Helps relieve fatigue.
In famine years, aspen bast, well dried, ground into powder, was added to the flour.
Twigs of the first tier are still placed in sauerkraut. This prevents fermentation processes, helps to keep the blanks until spring.
natural medicine
Pine leaves contain a lot of organic acids, easily digestible carbohydrates, carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins, flavonoids. The infusion, brewed from the leaves, has a mild expectorant property, helps to increase the intensity of sweating. Using aspen, you can quickly recover from a cold. The leaves are used to combat hemorrhoids. Tinctures from the bark help to remove phlegm, stimulate the immune system, treat diseases of the joints, the genitourinary system, reduce blood sugar, pain in pancreatitis, improve digestion, stimulate appetite. Young shoots are used to stop bleeding, burns, eczema, and other skin diseases are treated with alcohol ointments. Aspen decoction baths are soothing.
soil improvement
Aspen sheds a lot of leaves in autumn. They decompose in the ground faster than the leaves of other trees. The roots grow, capturing a plot of 160 m 2. When a plant dies, passages remain in the ground, into which others go deep. tall trees. Aspens are often planted on clayey degraded soils. After some time, favorable conditions are formed for the growth of other more capricious plants.
Possibilities for landscape design
Application:
- Creation of wind protection lines.
- Strengthening the banks of ravines, rivers, lakes.
- Formation of an aspen natural fence on the border of the steppe and forest to protect against the penetration of representatives of the steppe fauna.
- Landscaping of streets in a short time.
- Arrangement of fire-fighting plantings.
Vysoki decorative properties. In spring and summer, the tree is covered with a thick green cap, in autumn it is bright red. There are varieties with weeping tiers, pyramidal forms. Used to create a backyard landscape.
Application in construction
Wood aged 40–45 years has the greatest value. In an adult tree, it is white, the texture of the pattern is weakly expressed. The structure is soft, but homogeneous, dries out moderately, practically does not crack. According to the scale of the European standard (EN 350-2:1994) it belongs to the class of unstable rocks, therefore it is not used in the construction of residential premises. Lumber is used to create. During the construction of wooden churches, a plowshare is used - aspen planks necessary to cover church domes.
Due to its low density, wood tolerates moisture well. The material is suitable for the construction of wells, cellars, baths.
Due to low density, low resin content, lack of a large number knots are used for the manufacture of elements of interior decoration of Russian baths, Finnish saunas. The match industry for the production of its products takes aspen wood as a basis. At arts and crafts fairs, you can also often find beautiful products from this plant.
Aspen on the plot
Aspen can be planted with seeds, but growth and development will be long. It is better to find a wild grove in the neighborhood, dig up already grown seedlings there. You need to place them at a distance of two meters from each other. If you plant trees closer, they will grow, become like a dense shrub.
Aspen has a highly branched root system. Therefore, a tree cannot be planted closer than 12 m from buildings. Otherwise, the roots will damage the foundation, drainage system, communications.
Saplings are unpretentious, grow on any soil, but before planting in dug holes add mineral fertilizers. They make a drainage layer by pouring a ten-centimeter layer of rubble into the hole. Plant plants in early spring, immediately after the snow melts from the ground.
Aspen is a dense but moisture-loving tree. If the seedling grows in dry soil, it will die. Therefore, as the soil dries, it is necessary to moisten it abundantly.
Tree care is simple, it comes down to watering the plant in the first four years of growth. Top dressing is required only at the time of planting. A solution of cow dung is poured into the hole, prepared in a proportion of 1 kg per 20 liters of water. The widely spread root system of an adult tree will find everything it needs for growth and development.
Aspens, which are more than fifty years old, need to be cut down, processed: over time, the trunk becomes rotten, and can break with a strong gust of wind. Overgrowth quickly grows around the stumps, it is easy to form a hedge from it.
Varieties
There are trees not with green, but with gray bark. The base of their trunk is noticeably darker than the upper part. There are early, late varieties that differ from each other in the time of appearance of the leaves.
There are aspens up to 140 m in height. They have a triploid set of chromosomes. There is a rounded barrel. It is used to make furniture. For planting on personal plots, decorative forms are used that have a weeping, pyramidal crown. They get along well with conifers.
Aspen is suitable for landscape design only if there is a large area. The tree grows quickly, is unpretentious in care, forms a green volume well. It is possible to make shrubs from ornamental species, form hedges.
Aspen is one of the most common trees in Central Russia. Its characteristic feature is light green smooth bark. In the dark, it can be confused with birch, although if you touch the bark with your hands, the difference from birch bark is noticeable.
Aspen tree - characteristics, properties, application
Aspen is a tree that lives relatively little - usually 80-90 years. Only a few specimens live up to 120-140 years. One of the reasons is the easy susceptibility of the core of the trunk to rot.
About distribution, meaning in nature and legends about aspen here
Aspen tree. Description
Tree 25-30 m high, up to 1 m in diameter. The crown is rounded, the trunk is cylindrical columnar, the bark is greenish-gray. The leaves are rounded (in the crown of the tree), on long petioles, with palmate venation and a city-toothed margin. On coppice shoots, the leaves are larger, triangular-ovate with a pointed apex. Flower buds open in January, but bloom in March - May, before the leaves bloom.
Distributed from the forest-steppe to the northern taiga in Western Europe, the Caucasus, Western, Central and Central Asia. In Russia, it grows in the European part, Siberia, on Far East. Gives abundant root shoots. The wood is white, with a greenish tinge, splits well, bends, and is easily processed. It burns quickly (although it gives little heat).
The trunk is only dark gray below, above it is painted gray-green.
Trunks are most vibrant in young trees when their bark is wet with rain. In autumn, the crowns of aspens become very elegant: the leaves turn into various colors before falling off - from yellow to red-red.
Aspen in autumn
By the age of thirty, aspen is able to produce more than 300 cubic meters of wood per hectare, the same as pine and spruce by 100 years. It turns out, for the time it will be in time coniferous forest, you can get three crops of aspen.
Propagated like all poplars: propagated by seeds, root offspring, stump shoots. In our forests, there are about 18 million hectares occupied by aspen forests, on 150 million hectares, aspen grows in the vicinity of other species. Experts say that the area occupied by this breed will increase. Indeed, after cutting down a mixed forest, which included at least one representative of aspen, its numerous offspring immediately occupy the cutting area.
The roots of the aspen, the one that grew as an admixture in the forest, spread out in breadth and for decades, being half asleep, remained viable, as if waiting in the wings. When the forest is cut down, there is a lot of moisture, light and heat. The roots wake up, and wild shoots are thrown out of the dormant buds. Tiny flying aspen seeds are carried by the wind for tens of kilometers. Aspen and birch are always the first to populate open, free spaces, for which they are called pioneer trees. Only shade-tolerant spruce is able to survive aspen from the forest. The fact is that aspen is a photophilous plant, and its growth under the canopy of other trees is not able to live.
In winter, in the absence of leaves, aspen can be confused with poplar. Differences in location - in our forests, poplars are usually not found, and in urban plantations, on the contrary, aspens are rarely found. A more reliable difference is the kidneys. In poplars, characteristic of our urban plantations, they are longer.
In summer, aspen can be confidently recognized by its rounded leaves with an uneven notched edge. The leaves are dark green above, light gray-green below, smooth on both sides. The arrangement of leaves and branches is alternate.
Aspen leaves tremble at the slightest wind. The explanation is in their structure. Long petioles are flattened and thinner in the middle.
Aspen is a bisexual tree pollinated by the wind. Small female and male flowers are collected in greenish catkins. Aspen blooms in late April - early May, even before the leaves bloom. The fruits are small boxes covered with fluff, which allows the seeds to stay in the air longer and fly farther from the tree that gave birth to them.
Aspen is a tree that lives relatively little - usually 80-90 years. Only a few specimens live up to 120-140 years.
What does an aspen tree look like (photo)?
One of the reasons is the easy susceptibility of the core of the trunk to rot.
Matches, plywood, containers, cellulose and paper, and artificial silk are made from wood. Aspen is frost-resistant and photophilous, but in this respect it is somewhat inferior to birch. It is more demanding on soil fertility and moisture; it grows well on sandy, clay, loamy fresh soils. Lives 60-80 (150) years. Trees that have emerged from root offspring are easily affected by rot, dried wood is strong and resistant to decay. Decoctions and infusions of buds, leaves and bark are used in medicine.
Consider the main ways to plant aspen
Now consider the answers to questions that usually arise at the initial stage: when to plant, when to transplant, how to plant a new pet?
This pet is moisture-loving, but not cold-resistant, it cannot withstand prolonged flooding.
Aspen care is limited only by the choice of a worthy place and the provision of periodic watering. Planting can be carried out by seeds or seedlings in the form of sprouts sprouted in nature. They are usually transplanted in the spring, so that during the growing season they have time to adapt and take root. Disembarkation is not difficult and therefore no special instructions are necessary. But there is still a strict advice to follow: it is recommended to water the beauty regularly. As a disease, rot can appear. But this applies to adult specimens. Most often, the inner part of the trunk rots, so the plant is usually cut at the age of 40-45 years. For this reason, in the cities of these beauties, they try to cut them off early, since they may rot and collapse. And earlier, for the same reason, people tried to plant this representative of the flora away from their homes in order to avoid accidents in strong winds. But there is also a benefit to it. "Green friend" very quickly absorbs carbon dioxide and therefore it was often planted within the boundaries of large cities. But when it blooms, it throws out fluff, which is an allergen for many people.
medicinal plants, having special properties, do not allow pests to attack them. This is the peculiarity of my favorite.
Regular watering
With artificial breeding, it is necessary to pay attention to watering. V summer period when there is a lack of moisture, moisturizing should be plentiful and regular. Then the pet will be able to grow quickly and develop properly.
Feeding as an additional measure
Top dressing with artificial cultivation is irrelevant. It is possible to use organic fertilizer at the stage of planting or transplanting. Pretty girl take care of herself.
Aspen: healing properties and recipes for use
A powerful root system allows you to find the necessary nutrients far from the place of growth.
A collection of photos and the benefits of a pet
Aspen is a leaf-shaped species with an even erect trunk, reaching 35 meters in height, and living for about 90-100 years. Leaves are round or diamond-shaped. In summer, they are painted green, but in autumn they can be of various shades: from yellow to red. The photo shows an ordinary aspen, found in deciduous and mixed forests along roads and rivers. Since it grows quickly, it is often planted in cities for landscaping. In another way, this representative of the flora is also called "trembling poplar". This name comes from the fact that the leaves do not sway in the wind, but seem to tremble. A visual impression is created that the tree is cold or upset with something.
Suitable trunks of this lady in the construction industry. In ancient times, they built good and durable houses from it, covered the domes of churches with planks. Aspen wood is equal in strength to oak. Its characteristics depend on where the tree grows. Unfortunately, now they have forgotten about aspen and more often in construction they prefer to work with pine and spruce. But this beauty has found application in the activities of artisans: they cut out spoons and bowls from it. It turns out that before starting to create a product, the craftsmen steam its pieces into hot water and after that it cuts like a turnip. There are even legends that in such dishes food is preserved much longer. Therefore, even in sauerkraut, housewives used to put an aspen block of wood. The main properties and advantages of wood are white color, resistance to water and the fact that it does not crack and does not change shape (warps) when dried. Finishing materials are also made from it: lining, round timber, indispensable in creating the interior of the premises.
Even in ancient times, people discovered the medicinal properties of the plant. Leaves, buds, bark - all this is the raw material for the creation of medicines. Infusions and decoctions from the kidneys are used for gout, hemorrhoids, in the treatment of the prostate gland, cystitis, etc. The juice of the leaves helps to get rid of warts and lichen. The most popular is the bark, which is used for fever, diarrhea, toothache, urinary retention, and it is also used as a septic tank, etc. Steam lovers knit brooms, which are then used in the bath for preventive purposes.
Self-reproduction
Reproduction occurs by seeds and shoots. Seeds are in peduncles - "earrings", which, after maturation, are dispersed throughout the territory. Cultivation of aspen in this way occurs naturally. Breeding by shoots is also spontaneous. The root system of the pet is very massive and is located deep in the ground. Roots sprout shoots that can appear at a distance of 40 m from the tree and continue to spread per meter per year.
Aspen
Aspen(populus tremula) - Aspen is the second largest hardwood in terms of area (1/10 of this area), grows almost everywhere. Aspen is a nuclear-free breed. The wood is white, with a greenish tint; annual layers are poorly visible, medullary rays are not visible. Aspen wood has a homogeneous structure, is easily peeled, impregnated and does not give a very smoky flame (raw material for the match industry).
Aspen used in agriculture(wells, cellars, roofing shingles, etc.), as well as for the production of fibreboard, cellulose, cardboard, plywood, in wood chemistry and other industries. Application is limited due to heart rot, which is often found in growing trees. Aspen wood is not favored as an ornamental material in the special literature on woodworking: on one of last places it costs by the percentage of the output of parts excellent and good quality when processing - planing, milling, turning, drilling. And woodcarvers love aspen, like linden, for its ease of processing, for its light tone, fine fiber texture, and for the fact that it is affordable and even more common than linden. In the handicraft industry, aspen is also “respected” for the fact that it is not afraid of moisture, for its low density. Only Siberian fir and poplar have a density less than that of aspen, while linden has the same density. Therefore, aspen is used to make light toys and dishes. Previously, troughs, tubs, and gangs were made from it. In addition, it does not crack and does not prick from impact. In addition, aspen peels well - shingles are made from it, matches are made.
Aspen has another completely unexpected property - a strong increase in strength during exposure. With her lightness! The practice of our ancestors confirms what has been said, although it does not fully reveal all the reasons and secrets. It turns out that the walls of the huts built of aspen many years ago still amaze with their strength, whiteness and purity.
Aspen: tree description
The ax bounces off such wood, at best it sticks only shallowly. It is not for nothing that aspen is now used in villages for making shelves and benches in baths, for facing their walls - it is hygienic, bright and clean, is not afraid of moisture, does not warp or crack. It also turns out that experienced villagers make handles and handles for agricultural implements, when the combination of lightness and strength, just from aspen, is worth its weight in gold. Only for this purpose it is necessary to cut down a young aspen in the spring, when the wood is filled with juice, and allow it to dry well in the shade - to dry out. Then it will become both light and strong, like a bone. Obviously, the aspen does not just dry out, some kind of polymerization occurs under the action of the components of its juice. Oral legends say that they did the same with the harvesting of aspen logs for construction, only on each of them two or three grooves were made along the log on the bark so that the wood did not rot during drying, and the necessary juice was preserved in moderation. For the same reasons, when drying an unskinned aspen trunk, some branches were sometimes left on its top, which pulled excess moisture out of the wood. To obtain the ideal aspen wood, its trunks were harvested along with the birth of a son in the family, and it dried up until the son was separated from the family and a house was built for him. The best ax for a carpenter and joiner, as well as for a home craftsman, is also made from well-aged aspen. It is not only light, but it also does not bruise the hand, does not fill corns, which usually happens when working with a birch ax handle, which is polished and slips out of the hands (although it is better to buy an ax handle for an ax for chopping firewood from birch: its fracture strength does not depend slept from the time of year).
Another property of aspen, which is a vice in woodworking, deserves attention. This is the presence of a hollow and rot in the middle of large trunks.
In terms of shear strength, aspen is similar to linden and surpasses conifers in this, as well as poplar. And in terms of resistance to splitting from impact, it stands next to birch and ash, even ahead of beech, oak, maple, walnut, linden, coniferous trees. This indicates the viscosity of aspen. Aspen is cut elastically, even tight, with effort, but the surface is good in all directions, it is perfectly ground and polished. Considering the indicated properties of aspen, it is especially advantageous to use it for crafts with blind carvings, for making complex, one-piece ornaments or such decorations. Let us also mention the famous property of the silvery glow of aspen, which we observe on the roofs of the cathedrals of wooden architecture of the North of our country covered with plowshares (curly carved planks).
Any wood that is not protected by varnishes or paints turns gray and gradually collapses and rots. Unpainted aspen also turns gray, but unlike other types of wood, it is more resistant to atmospheric influences and, having acquired its silvery gray color with a metallic tint over several years (according to some sources, for 8-10 years), it retains it for many decades. . By appearance aspen can only be confused with its related poplar (aspen has a second name - trembling poplar). She, like the white poplar, has a smooth greenish-gray bark, brownish at the base, cracked (in old trees). But the aspen leaf, unlike poplar, is ovoid.
General view of the tree
Aspen fruits on the branches
Longitudinal and cross cuts
Botanical illustration from O. V. Tome's book "Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz", 1885
Aspen growing north of the Arctic Circle in Norway
aspen leaves
Willow and aspen - healers
As soon as the sun warms up, in the river valleys, where there is still snow, aspen and willow bloom. These trees are said to have medicinal properties. Is it so?
E. ROMOVA, Otradny
Willow green
Willows are useful to many. Let us dwell on one of their therapeutic applications. And take the most common goat willow.
Willow goat, or bredina, rakita (willow family), a small tree, up to 10 meters in height, with ovate leaves.
Aspen: what it looks like and how it differs from poplar
It grows in the European part of the country, is found in Siberia. Willow bark contains tannins, flavone glycosides, vitamin C. It has been established that an infusion or tincture from male inflorescences of goat willow good remedy with cardiac arrhythmia and tachycardia, which regulates the neuromuscular apparatus of the heart, and an infusion of inflorescences, leaves or bark is drunk with an increased heartbeat. In folk herbal medicine, it is known to use a decoction of willow bark for colds, lung diseases, as a gum-strengthening agent that calms neuropsychiatric disorders.
In addition, a decoction of willow bark is taken as an antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, astringent, hemostatic, anthelmintic. It is effective for chronic diarrhea, inflammation of the stomach, spleen disease, tuberculosis, hemoptysis, acute rheumatism and other diseases. A concentrated decoction of the bark is used for sweating, as a gargle for inflammation of the throat, mouth. You can wash your hair with hair loss, dandruff. In Western Europe, willow preparations are used in the treatment of fever, articular rheumatism, gout, dyspepsia, diseases of the stomach and intestines, and scrofula.
For 1 glass of water, take 15 g of finely chopped bark, boil for 10-15 minutes, filter. Drink 1 tbsp. spoon 4-5 times a day.
Aspen quivering
Aspen blossom is one of the first joys of spring. It is nice to see luxurious dangling catkins on bare, leafless branches when there is snow around. Aspen is found everywhere in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the country. It has been established that aspen leaves contain glycosides, carotene and ascorbic acid. There are many useful substances in the bark: glycosides, essential oil, pectin, tannins. An infusion or decoction of the kidneys is a popular remedy for fever, chronic colds, pneumonia, and pulmonary tuberculosis. A decoction of young aspen bark is used for kidney diseases, cystitis and other diseases of the bladder, urinary retention and salt deposition in the joints. The decoction is recommended for gastritis and poor digestion, dyspepsia, diarrhea, as an appetite stimulant, for coughing. Aspen wood ash ointment was used by traditional medicine in the treatment of eczema.
Usually for 1 cup of boiling water take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of leaves or bark, boil for an hour in a steam bath; strain, drink 1-2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day.
Of course, like all infusions, they can be taken only on the advice of your doctor.
The aspen tree is common in temperate climates. This species must be distinguished from poplar, its closest relative. With a slight breath of wind, its crown starts to move, so this plant is also called the "trembling poplar". However, it is valued not only for its decorative qualities. Different parts of the tree are used for construction purposes and medicine, and the shoots are fed to animals.
Description of the species
The aspen tree grows up to 15-20 m in height, some representatives can reach 30 m. This species has a straight columnar trunk up to 1 m in diameter and a gray smooth bark with an olive tint. On average, the life of an aspen is from 80 to 100 years, but some centenarians can grow up to 150 years or more.
The aspen has several characteristic features:
- the bark remains smooth even in mature trees, sometimes shallow longitudinal cracks appear;
- rounded leaves, which are light green at the beginning of the season, then darken, turn yellow and fall off;
- flat, but powerful and wide root system;
- the flowering period occurs in late July or early May.
The leaves have a rounded shape and are located on long flat cuttings.
In the photo, the aspen tree can be confused with poplar. To distinguish between these two varieties, it is enough to compare their leaves. They are rounded and have notches along the perimeter, and their width exceeds their length. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they are fixed on flat cuttings. Thanks to this shape, they bend well, and with the slightest breath of wind, the crown starts to move. The front side of the plate is shiny, the back is matte.
In the description of the aspen tree, the shape and color of the flowers also matter. They are bisexual and form inflorescences - earrings. The female flowers are bright burgundy, the male flowers are light green. In autumn, they form boxes with seeds, which are then carried by the wind.
What is the value of a tree?
Aspen is grown commercially or parts of wild trees are used. The bark is harvested for the winter and eaten to tone the body and strengthen the immune system. Branches are added to sauerkraut to increase shelf life. Previously, flour was prepared from this plant, which was used in baking bread. Now this tree is valued for its quality wood, and also continues to be used in traditional medicine.
The sex of a tree can be determined by the color of the inflorescences.
In medicine
Different parts of the aspen tree are a source of organic acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and other useful substances. Decoctions and infusions are prepared from its leaves and bark, shoots are used to prepare tinctures and ointments. Funds can also be added to restorative baths. Depending on the method of application, aspen allows you to get rid of a number of problems:
- decoctions - from a wet cough and excessive sweating;
- leaves - against hemorrhoids, seasonal diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- bark in the form of tinctures - for arthritis, cough, inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract, as well as to stimulate immune defenses and improve appetite;
- annual shoots - with bleeding;
- baths have a general strengthening effect, normalize the functioning of the nervous system.
Aspen-based medicines can be purchased at a pharmacy.
Aspen is popular exclusively in folk medicine. Such funds have a milder effect than pharmaceutical preparations, but before using them, you should consult a doctor.
For soil cultivation
Aspen improves the properties of the soil on which it grows. In the autumn period, one can observe abundant leaf fall, and trees also shed small branches. During the winter, this material undergoes a series of chemical transformations and becomes a useful fertilizer. In addition, the root system has its own characteristics. The roots are shallow, but spread over a considerable distance. In the soil in which aspen grew, there are multi-level passages that are used by more demanding crops. The cultivation of this species is practiced to improve clayey and insufficiently fertile soils with low moisture conductivity.
Aspen has a powerful root system and often crowds out other plants.
Aspen wood in construction
Aspen is also processed into boards. For construction purposes, mature trees that have reached the age of 40-45 years are suitable. The wood is light, almost has no pattern. It has several features:
- high resistance to high humidity and precipitation;
- soft, but homogeneous structure;
- long service life - over time it does not crack;
- low cost.
Aspen wood belongs to unstable species, therefore it is not suitable for the construction of residential premises. However, it is popular in the manufacture of wells, baths and other buildings, as well as in the production of matches.
In landscape design
It is important to understand where the aspen tree grows in order to use it in landscape design. She prefers well-lit areas and crowds out other plant varieties. 
Representatives of this species grow rapidly, in the first years forming up to 3 m of young shoots. They are not afraid of heat and frost, quickly recovering after winter. However, they have one problem - the center of the trunk often rots. 
With age, the trees become loose and brittle, so when growing them in cultivated conditions, it is important to check their condition annually.
Aspen is popular in landscape design not only for decorative purposes, but also due to its useful properties:
- aspen plantings protect well from the wind;
- on the banks, the tree prevents the soil from slipping;
- in large settlements it is used for landscaping and for air purification;
- rarely ignites.
Aspen is ubiquitous. In most cases, it forms separate landings, displacing less strong trees. In nature, it reproduces by seeds, but it is more convenient to purchase and plant seedlings. These are strong trees with a wide root system, unpretentious to growing conditions. They are popular in construction and, and also continue to be used for the preparation of folk medicines.
Mythology about the aspen tree - video
Aspen is not a simple tree. It is also popularly called mystical and cursed. And why they talk about him like that, you will definitely find out now. This is a large, belonging to the willow family, the height of which can sometimes reach 35 meters. White wood has a characteristic greenish tint. And what is most interesting, the age of this tree is almost impossible to determine. After all, they usually recognize him by the rings on the cut, but in the aspen they are not visible at all. But it is known that on average lives from 90 to 150 years. You can meet aspen most often in forests or on the banks of water bodies, rarely in dry sands, clearings and swamps. She is very therefore in Lately it is used for landscaping. Aspen is a tree that lends itself well to polishing, so it is widely used in the manufacture of objects. Well log cabins are also made from it, since such wood is not at all afraid of water. In the old days, village craftsmen made hives-hollows, kitchen utensils and birdhouses from it.
Why is it believed that the aspen is a cursed tree?
They talk about this for a reason, because any belief cannot arise out of nowhere. There are several Christian legends in which the aspen behaved treacherously. For example, when the Mother of God with the baby was fleeing in the forest, all the green inhabitants calmed down and only the "cursed" tree betrayed her and showed the way.
And yet, when Judas wanted to hang himself, not a single tree allowed him to do this: the birch lowered its branches, the pear scared away with prickly thorns, and the oak - with power. But the aspen did not contradict him and happily rustled its leaves. That is why people cursed her. It is also believed that the aspen forest is an excellent remedy for witchcraft. It absorbs and de-energizes all energy. No wonder vampires are stuck in the heart
Energy
Aspen - the tree, the photos of which you see in the article, is able to absorb negative energy. They usually go to her when they want to get rid of problems and get rid of troubles. They say that if you touch her with a sore spot, then she will take the whole disease upon herself and the person will feel better. But at the same time, too much contact with aspen can cause headaches, nausea, depression and drowsiness. Therefore, contact with her should not exceed 15 minutes. In the old days, aspen wood was used to build rapids. It was believed that they absorbed all the negative energy of the guests entering the house, thereby protecting the owners of the home. Aspen trees cut down and stuck in the four ends of the village protected the inhabitants from various diseases such as cholera epidemics.
Application in medicine
Aspen is a tree valued for its bark, leaves, buds and young shoots. Preparations made on the basis of this raw material have antimicrobial, antitussive and anti-inflammatory effects. They are widely used in the treatment of smallpox, tuberculosis, diarrhea, cystitis, syphilis and many other diseases. They are used externally to heal wounds, burns and ulcers.
Well, now it has become known to you what an aspen tree is, where it grows and what unusual properties it has.
There was a twofold relationship.
On the one hand, the tree was considered cursed. The ancient Slavs believed that goblin, devils and other evil spirits were found in aspen groves. In the myths of ancient Greece, Aspen grew in the afterlife.
The tree was a symbol of fear and indecision, so the leaves were constantly trembling in the wind.
At the same time, Aspen served partly for good. For example, a bed, as well as bath brooms made of Aspen, helped to cope with various ailments.
Aspen branches stuck in the fence were not allowed into the garden evil spirit. Aspen stakes were used to fight against unclean forces.
aspen names
According to one version, the word "aspen" comes from the word "blue".
The fact is that after Aspen has been cut down or cut down, blue is formed at the place of saw cut. This is due to the tannins that react with the metal particles. This property is used by many carpenters and cabinetmakers when working with various breeds.
Since the wood has a white tint, the blue is especially noticeable.
The Latin name for common aspen is populous tremula, which literally means “trembling man” in Latin.
WHAT ASPEN LOOKS LIKE
In autumn, after leaf fall, Aspens stand out among the Russian black forest with green trunks.
In glades and forest edges, the tree often grows with sprawling knotty branches and a lush crown, while in forest groves it stretches upward.
Aspen leaves are like coins with notches and long petioles.
The tree grows very quickly and reaches a height of up to 35 meters. The life span is on average 100 years.
Aspen roots are very powerful and go deep into the soil. Thanks to this property, Aspen can easily survive forest fires. Even if the tree trunk burns and dies, thanks to the surviving root system, new shoots will not be long in coming.
Where does Aspen grow?
In nature, Aspen is found in Korea, China, as well as in Europe, Kazakhstan and almost all regions of Russia.
Despite the fact that people are used to meeting Aspen in mixed forests, the tree quite often forms pure aspen forests. These groves are favorite places for mushroom pickers.
Aspens can grow on clearing sites, after fires and in ravines. Often used to strengthen slopes and landscaping parks and gardens.
The tree does not like swampy and highly moistened soil. Under such conditions, the tree quickly rots in the middle and dies.
When Aspen Blooms
In mid-April, Aspen blooms. Reddish men's earrings look much more interesting than thin and green women's earrings.
Aspen blooms before the leaves bloom.
Medicinal properties of Aspen
Aspen bark contains a huge amount of useful substances: antibiotics, tannins, glycerin, esters and others. That is why ointments, medicines, decoctions and even kvass are made from the bark.
Aspen is a source of such elements as copper, iron, zinc, nickel. These substances are necessary for a person to strengthen the immune system.
A decoction of Aspen bark has an analgesic effect and helps with burns, eczema and other skin lesions.
The decoction also has an astringent effect on the body and helps with gastritis and diarrhea by killing harmful bacteria and microorganisms.
With increased anxiety, a decoction of aspen bark is also used to restore the nervous system.
Tincture from the bark of the tree treats diseases of the joints and prostatitis.
Application of Aspen
Aspen is a fast-growing tree, therefore it is used for landscaping areas.
The wood of the tree is a valuable material for carpenters. It has a soft structure and does not splinter, it can easily be compared with wood lindens, while it grows much faster and is much more common.
In the old days, a decoction of Aspen was used to get rid of scale in samovars.
The best-known use of wood is matches. Every day, several tons of material are used to make matches.
Aspen is used in the manufacture of packaging and decorative chips, which can be painted in any color.
Contraindications
Aspen has no special contraindications, however, bark decoctions are not recommended for people who have problems with the digestive system.
Cases of individual intolerance are also possible.
When using traditional medicine methods, consult a specialist.
Aspen bark is a favorite delicacy of hares and moose, so in the forest you can often find littered barked tree trunks.
In the old days, when pickling cabbage, aspen twigs or logs were added to the knapsack to kill harmful microbes.
The wood of the tree is well preserved in water, so earlier wells and baths were built from Aspen.
Artificial vanillin is made from rotten Aspen wood.
The first aspirin was obtained from the bark of this tree.
Photo credits: djangalina , Tatiana , igor.zadvornyak and others.
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